


Pretty Woman

by Serquelskies



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, F/M, Love, Music, Prostitution, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26270536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serquelskies/pseuds/Serquelskies
Summary: Sergio is an introverted pianist who composes musical scores for films.Raquel is a prostitute who is just trying to make ends meet for her family.How will a fortuitous meeting between them lead them both to the greatest romance of their lives?And how will they each change each other for the better?Loosely inspired by the film 'Pretty Woman' (starring Julia Roberts).Instagram: Serquelskies
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 247
Kudos: 408





	1. My name is Lisbon

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys for reading. Though I have been a long-time reader of Fanfiction across many different fandoms, it's my first time writing it myself. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Sergio let out a long sigh of relief as he fell backwards with a thud on his hotel bed. Bringing his hand up to his collar, he quickly loosened the bow tie that he was wearing and tossed it aside. Sergio couldn’t believe that he had allowed his manager and brother Andres to talk him into attending the Grammys tonight. He absolutely abhorred award ceremonies. From the masses of people, to the bright lights, and cameras everywhere, he hated everything about them. And yet, he had found it too difficult to say no when Andres had pleaded with him to go.

‘ _Por favor, mi hermanito. Tell me, how many people in this world are lucky enough to be invited to such a prestigious ceremony? Hmm? Let alone being nominated for an award! You are incredibly lucky, Sergio. Think about what it would have meant to mum and dad. They were so proud of your musical abilities when you were young, and they did everything to support your training. What kind of thanks would it be to turn down such an honor?’_

When Andres had brought up their deceased parents, Sergio knew that his older brother was right for once, and had finally conceded defeat. But now that he had returned to his suite with mental fatigue and exhaustion, he was regretting the decision. Being an introvert did not go hand in hand with attending large parties like the Grammy’s. Sergio had died a little bit inside every time he had to make small talk with someone new, and had wished they would have just announced all the winners consecutively. He didn’t understand why they needed to drag the night out into such a long affair. At least he had managed to escape going to the after party with Andres, he consoled himself. Right on cue, Sergio’s phone rung, and he saw his brother’s name on the screen.

‘Hello?’

‘Hermanitooooooo!’ cried Andres on the other end of the line.

‘Yes?’ sighed Sergio.

‘I can’t believe that you are missing this after party! It’s soooo much fun,’ slurred his manager.

‘I’m perfectly satisfied back in my room,’ replied Sergio curtly. He could hear a ruckus in the background of Andres’ call; loud music was blaring and people were giggling and screaming.

Andres drunkenly ignored Sergio’s response. ‘You need to celebrate! How many people can say that they have won a Grammy award? Don’t you worry hermanito, if you can’t come to the party then I will bring the party to you,’ he cackled.

‘What?’ But before Sergio could question his brother further, Andres hung up the call.

Sergio rolled his eyes at the thought of his brother getting absolutely plastered on the free flowing alcohol and making a complete fool of himself at the after party. Typical Andres. Always the life of the party.

Yawning, Sergio decided that he had better take a shower so that he could get into bed before passing out from exhaustion. However, just as he got up from the bed, there was a knock on his door. Suddenly, his mind made a connection between Andres’ phone call and the abrupt arrival of a visitor. Surely his brother knew him better than to come to his room and drag him to the party.

Sergio wrenched open the door, ready to give Andres a grilling about leaving him alone.

‘I don’t want to go to the after party, Andres—’ But before he could finish his sentence, his brain registered that it wasn’t his manager who stood at the door.

He glanced down to see an attractive woman standing before him. She was wearing a long beige trench coat and black high heels. Caramel coloured tresses of hair framed her pretty face, and a pair of warm, brown eyes looked back at him as he stared, speechless and surprised.

‘Hi,’ whispered the stranger in a slightly husky voice. ‘Can I come in?’

While Sergio tried to find his voice, instead of waiting for a response, the woman pushed past him into the room.

‘Sorry, I think there’s been a mistake—’ he started, as she closed the door after entering.

‘Aren’t you Sergio?’ she asked calmly.

‘Uh, yes, but—’

‘Then I’m in the right place,’ she smiled back. Her smile was warm, friendly, and genuine, evoking an emotion in Sergio that he couldn’t quite place. ‘My name is Lisbon,’ she continued. ‘I believe your brother Andres sent me.’

Before Sergio even had time to register what she meant, Lisbon began to untie the belt around her trench coat. All he could do was watch on, confused. But it all became clear to him when Lisbon opened her trench coat to reveal that she was wearing a sexy, black, lacy bodysuit and matching thigh high stockings beneath her jacket.

Sergio’s mouth fell open at the sight before him. _Andres had sent him a hooker_.


	2. The condom of champions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to comment on the first chapter. I truly appreciate all the positive feedback! I hope that I can live up to your expectations, with so many people saying that PW is your favourite film. At the moment I have a rough trajectory for the story in my head, but really, anything could happen (and I'm not entirely sure how closely this fic will follow what happens in the movie)! Please do let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts about what you would like to see happen, scenes that you'd like me to embed from the movie, etc.

Lisbon’s trench coat dropped to the floor, pooling around her ankles. Sergio felt frozen, as he continued to stare on in disbelief. She confidently strode over to Sergio, gently put her hand on his chest, and pushed him back so that he was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

The sudden physical change in position brought Sergio back to his senses, and he began to protest the new turn of events. ‘Wait—’ he started.

But he was unable to finish his sentence, as Lisbon shot him a mischievous smile, and lightly placed her index finger against his parted lips. ‘Shhh,’ she whispered. ‘Just relax.’

The sensation of Lisbon’s soft finger sent a shiver down Sergio’s spine, and his breath caught in his throat. Internally, Sergio’s brain was screaming at him to stop the current situation from progressing any further. But the rest of him had never felt more turned on in his life. There was something about the woman before him that was incredibly arousing, from her quiet confidence and tenderness, to her curvy but toned body.

Lisbon moved her fingers to tenderly caress the side of his face now, gently turning Sergio’s head to the side. She lowered her face to the crook of his exposed neck, and began planting soft kisses to his flushed skin. Sergio’s eyes immediately fluttered closed at the exquisite sensation, before his brain finally regained control of his body. He quickly pushed Lisbon off of him and stood up from the edge of the bed.

‘I can’t!’ he blurted out.

Lisbon’s eyes widened in shock at being pushed away so abruptly and with such conviction. Then she frowned, and Sergio could see that she was perplexed but also slightly annoyed.

He took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to react like that. It’s just, I wasn’t actually expecting this, or _you_ , at all. My brother Andres has obviously sent you here without my knowledge or consent. And to be completely honest with you, I have quite strong principles…’

A look of realisation dawned upon Lisbon’s face, and she interrupted him before he could finish speaking. ‘Honey, it’s okay. Client confidentiality is my top priority. I get tested regularly, and I’m 100% clean. I’ve also brought protection with me,’ she winked at him. ‘I got red, I got green, I got yellow... I'm out of purple, but I do have one Gold Circle coin left... the condom of champions... the one and only... nothing is getting through this sucker.’

Lisbon grinned widely at him, holding up the multi-colored condoms in one hand. Sergio stared at her, mouth agape, and could feel his face turning red with embarrassment at being asked so nonchalantly what colour contraceptive he would like.

‘No. What I mean is, this is not something that I can do,’ Sergio stated.

‘What’s wrong?’ Lisbon was clearly utterly baffled now.

‘I don’t sleep with prostitutes.’

Now Lisbon was the one staring at him, and he could see an angry fire igniting behind her warm, hazelnut eyes. Sergio gulped nervously.

‘ _Excuse me?!_ What is that supposed to mean?’ Lisbon questioned with a deadly tone.

‘Wait—That came out wrong. What I mean is, I don’t sleep with people I don’t know. And I don’t think I could have sex with someone if I felt like I was taking advantage of them… and their circumstances,’ Sergio quickly explained, sensing that she was on the cusp of an angry tirade.

‘Oh.’ The fury in Lisbon’s face left, and was replaced by an expression of relief, and then she burst out laughing. Sergio’s face spelled out his confusion.

‘I don’t know what to say, Sergio. I think this is the first time I’ve ever been rejected by a man… let alone a potential client,’ she admitted in a slightly disappointed tone of voice. ‘I admire what you’re saying, but why don’t you just think of this as purely transactional? A business deal? Your brother has already paid my bill for tonight anyway. And I don’t want you to think that you are taking advantage of me. This is the line of work that I have chosen for myself, and I’m not ashamed of it. Why should I, or anybody else, feel bad about me doing my best to financially support myself and my family? Please don’t make me out to be a victim, when for the first time in my life, I am finally empowered.’

Sergio studied Lisbon’s face with curiosity and interest. She spoke with an air of dignity and pride, and it was clear that she was a strong-willed woman who was autonomous in every aspect of her life. He wondered what she meant about finally being empowered. He estimated that they were probably the same age, early forties, so what had her life previously been like for her to say something like that? As he silently pondered this, Lisbon spoke again.

‘Sex doesn’t always have to be about love and romance, Sergio.’

She was taken aback when his reply came immediately.

‘Maybe not for everyone, but it does for me.’

 _What a strange man_ , thought Lisbon to herself.

‘So you just want me to leave then?’ she queried him.

‘Uh, well, yes, I think that would be best. I will of course pay for your cab fare home,’ Sergio reassured her.

Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. ‘There’s just one problem, actually. You must not usually come to this side of town. Cabs don’t come by at this time of night around here. They’re usually all on the other side of town, where all the clubs and drunk people are partying. I don’t think I’ll be able to hail or even book one now, ’ she explained with an apologetic smile.

‘Oh.’ Sergio frowned in concentration, trying to come up with another solution to the hooker in his hotel room. 

‘Look, can I just stay here? I really was expecting to have to spend the night here anyway after being booked by your manager.’ 

She quickly added, ‘We don’t have to sleep together of course.’ In a teasing tone she noted, ‘Though, it would be a huge waste of your brother’s money. I don’t do refunds, unfortunately.’ Lisbon grinned at him again with an infectious smile and twinkle in her eye.

Sergio surveyed her with analytical eyes. Never in his life had he ever met someone like her. So forthright and intense, but soft and tender at the same time. Although, that being said, Sergio really didn’t have much experience with a lot of people. He had been a natural lone wolf his whole life, apart from being with Andres. He wondered if Lisbon was representative of most people in society, or if he had just somehow managed to meet an anomaly. Before he could mentally decide, Lisbon cleared her throat-- she was still waiting for an answer from him.

Without realising the complications and consequences of what he was saying, Sergio finally uttered his agreement.

‘Okay. You can stay the night.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the Pretty Woman film lovers who are reading this chapter enjoyed the quote that I put in from the movie ;)
> 
> Also I do have to apologise because I love to end my chapters on cliffhangers (if you couldn't already tell).


	3. Strawberries and champagne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Raquel's POV.
> 
> Thanks so much again to everyone leaving comments and/or kudos! Seeing your positive responses really motivates me to keep writing the story. I'll try to update as often as I can, but sometimes I get a bit mentally blocked with all the different directions and thoughts in my head. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the PW references even though it's short. :)

Raquel couldn’t believe her ears, or the kindness of the man who stood before her. In her experience, most people would have just shown her the door and let her figure it out herself. 

‘Thank you so much,’ she expressed with deep gratitude.

‘If you want, you can use the bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa,’ Sergio continued.

‘What? No. I couldn’t. You are already showing me too much hospitality.’

‘Please. I can’t let a lady sleep anywhere other than the bed. It would not be chivalrous of me at all.’

Raquel laughed and studied Sergio carefully. ‘Are you always this much of a gentleman?’

Blushing, he replied ‘Well I try to be.’

‘You know, we could just share the bed. It’s big,’ suggested Raquel with a hint of flirtation in her voice. ‘Plus, I’d feel awful if that tiny sofa gave you a sore back tomorrow morning.’

Sergio blushed even harder, and decided not to immediately reply. ‘Please make yourself comfortable. You can watch the TV if you like. I can also get some room service brought up if you’re hungry or thirsty.’

Raquel marveled at the generosity of this socially awkward but kind-hearted man. ‘Umm, well if you don’t mind, then a drink would be perfect,’ she shyly requested.

‘Of course.’ He immediately dialed down to the reception using the room phone. ‘Hello? Yes. I’d like some champagne and strawberries sent up please. Thank you.’

Raquel raised an eyebrow to herself, overhearing his phone order. Sergio had classy taste. She found herself wondering what other things he would do to surprise her.

‘Lisbon, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower now,’ said Sergio as he wandered into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

As soon as she heard the water running, Raquel took off her high heels and fell backwards onto the king size bed dramatically. She couldn’t believe her luck, to be staying in such a fancy hotel room tonight, with a perfect gentleman, who didn’t even want to have his dirty way with her. This was definitely one of the easiest paydays she had ever made. She rolled around on the bed, enjoying the plush comfort, before reaching for the TV remote. As she flicked through the channels, she stopped on a black and white comedy rerun. It was one of her favourite shows, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at the characters partaking in silly shenanigans on the screen. 

Ten minutes later, Raquel was thoroughly enjoying herself and had indeed made herself at home. She was lying in the middle of the floor on her stomach, body propped up by her elbows, and legs bent up in the air. Raquel held a glass of champagne in one hand, and a half bitten strawberry in the other. The bubbles had completely gone to her head, and she was giggling loudly at the TV. She didn’t even notice that Sergio had opened the bathroom door and was watching her from behind, until he cleared his throat.

Raquel’s head spun around to locate the sound, and her dilated pupils met with Sergio’s dark eyes. His hair was wet and messy, there were still droplets of water on his face, and he was wearing a fluffy bathrobe. She couldn’t help but stare at how adorable and somewhat _sexy_ he looked in that moment.

‘Umm, do you want some?’ Raquel gulped, gesturing to the bowl of strawberries and bottle of champagne.

‘I don’t drink, actually. I just ordered it for you,’ smiled Sergio tentatively.

Raquel’s heart sped up slightly at his words, but she put it down to the alcohol. _Damn, I drank a bit too much bubbly_ , she thought to herself.

Sergio walked over to the edge of the bed behind her, and sat down. His eyes flickered towards the black and white comedy on the TV and then back to Raquel.

‘Please continue as you were,’ he encouraged.

But Raquel sat up from her position on the floor and turned around to face him. Her gaze was now level with his knees, and the robe that was covering his thighs. She put down her glass of champagne, and brought the half-eaten strawberry up to her mouth. She could feel Sergio watching as she took a bite, her lips puckered around the small, red fruit. Raquel couldn’t help but lock eyes with him as she finished her mouthful. 

They stared at each other without breaking eye contact for what seemed like an eternity. _What was this effect that Sergio was having on her?_ Finally, Raquel broke the thick silence and decided to do something uncharacteristic of herself.

Still maintaining his gaze, she slowly brought her right hand up to gently caress Sergio’s left knee. She moved the soft material of the robe aside, and her fingers continued their feather-light upward trajectory on his inner thigh. Her eyes searched Sergio’s for any sign of discomfort or rejection, but he only stared back. She could hear his breathing hitch as she reached the halfway point on his thigh.

‘You know… just because you don’t want to have sex, doesn’t mean that I can’t do something else for you,’ Raquel whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger again! LOL. I will try to make it up to you in CH4 ;)


	4. I don't kiss on the mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly longer, so I hope you all enjoy it. :)

Sergio found himself utterly intoxicated and paralysed by the intensity in Lisbon’s eyes. Her eyes were chocolate brown pools, and he wanted to lose himself, to drown in them. Never before in his life had he ever felt something akin to whatever this strange feeling within him. In fact, prolonged eye contact had always made him feel extremely uncomfortable, unless it was with Andres or other close friends. But for whatever reason, Lisbon’s gaze was triggering something in him that he had never experienced before. He was so focused on her eyes, that he almost didn’t hear her proposition. And that was when he realised that her hand was halfway up his thigh, and dangerously close to the most sensitive part of his body. A part that was beginning to _stir_ , excited by the foreign touch of an unfamiliar hand. 

Sergio quickly placed his hand over Lisbon’s, and clutched it tightly to prevent it from moving up any further. He thought he might die from embarrassment if her hand actually made it to his slowly hardening cock. Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him and smiled shyly. Sergio couldn’t believe that he was only now noticing how incredibly sexy she was, and how much she was turning him on. Her lips were red and moist from the strawberries she had been eating. The shoulder straps of her black, lacy bodysuit had both fallen down to either side of her arms. Her cleavage was slightly flushed from the champagne. All these observations were making him even harder now, under his robe.

It took absolutely all of Sergio’s strength to continue keeping his hand grasped firmly over Lisbon’s, and slowly move it off his thigh and back towards her. She now had a confused expression on her face. Part of him wondered if he had gone batshit crazy. He was turning down such an attractive, stunning woman who was throwing herself at him. _No_. _Be a gentleman, for God’s sake! She probably just feels bad that Andres has paid a huge amount of money for nothing._

‘I’m sorry Lisbon. I really don’t want to take advantage of you. Especially now that you have alcohol in your system. But I really appreciate it… and please don’t worry about what my brother has already paid you,’ Sergio apologised.

‘Oh. Of course…’ murmured Lisbon with a hint of disappointment in her voice. ‘I think I’ll go shower. Do you mind?’ But before Sergio could even utter a response, she had all but run to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Sergio stared at the closed bathroom door. Had he said something wrong? Why had Lisbon seemed kind of upset? He decided to push the nagging thoughts aside in his head, and change into his pajamas instead. 

After about ten minutes, Lisbon came out of the shower in a fluffy hotel bathrobe. Sergio was sitting on the bed and watching the TV comedy that was still muted. She immediately strode over and sat down next to him.

‘I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable before. I think you’re right. Maybe I do feel a bit bad about the money,’ she confessed.

Sergio quickly turned off the TV and turned to face her. Lisbon looked apologetic and embarrassed. He carefully thought about what he could say to make the current situation less awkward.

‘Please don’t be sorry. I understand that I’m probably a very unusual client for you. But look, how about instead of doing what you usually do… we just talk tonight? And it can be a transaction where you are keeping me company,’ offered Sergio.

Lisbon’s face instantly broke out into a smile and he felt the tension break. 

‘Deal,’ she confirmed, sticking her hand out to him. Sergio laughed as they shook on it.

‘Well first thing’s first… obviously Lisbon is an alias you use. Can I know what your real name is? Of course, if it’s too personal...’ he asked tentatively.

‘Raquel. My name is Raquel.’

‘Raquel… that’s a beautiful name,’ complimented Sergio.

‘My turn -- what is the deal with your manager, Andres or whatever? Is he really your brother? Because you are both _very_ different!’

‘Oh. I suppose I deserve that question,’ grinned Sergio. ‘He is my older half brother. And my manager too. And yes, we couldn’t be more polar-opposite than what we already are. Andres just has a different life philosophy to most people. He is a ‘live fast, die young’, ‘better to love and lost than never at all’ kind of guy. And I am the type of guy who prepares for everything; someone who lays out his clothes for tomorrow. But despite all our differences in taste, we love each other, and we are the only family that we each have.’

‘I can see that he means a lot to you. Even though he sent you a hooker that you didn’t ask for,’ teased Raquel. ‘Can I ask what it is that you actually do? Why do you need a manager?’

‘I’m a musician. I was in town attending the Grammys tonight -- hence Andres partying so hard, and me being in this hotel room,’ admitted Sergio.

‘Wow! Really? If you’re a musician then why haven’t I heard of you? What do you play?’ asked Raquel in astonishment.

‘I play piano. But I’m not a performer like Elton John, Billy Joel, or John Legend. I just compose scores, mostly for movies. Tonight I was nominated for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo”.’

‘And?!’

‘Well, somehow I won,’ grinned Sergio sheepishly.

‘Oh my god! Congratulations! No wonder you don’t care about money. You are probably rich from all the royalties,’ accused Raquel playfully, slapping him on the arm.

They both laughed heartily with their eyes crinkling, and Sergio couldn’t recall the last time he had this much fun talking to somebody he barely knew. It was such a stark contrast to all the names and faces that he had met and already forgotten about from the ceremony. 

When Raquel finally stopped giggling and turned to him again, she sighed. ‘I kind of wish that I could watch you play.’ 

Sergio felt his chest tighten, and was suddenly nervous. ‘I, umm, actually brought my keyboard with me. It’s just over there in the corner of the room,’ he pointed to a cloth covered table that Raquel hadn’t noticed before.

Before he could chicken out, Sergio walked over to the keyboard, pulling the material off and sitting down before it. Soon, the melody of “The Entertainer” was filling the room, as his fingers gracefully flitted from key to key. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Raquel approaching him as he played. Her face seemed mesmerised, and she sat down beside him on the seat, keenly observing him.

When he finished the final note of the song, Sergio turned to look at her, only to find that she was already staring back at him. Raquel’s face was barely even five centimetres away from his own, and he couldn’t help but focus on the perfect shape of her pink lips. Sergio felt drawn, as though a magnet was pulling him closer and closer towards her. She seemed to be feeling the same, and her eyes fluttered closed for a second. But right before their lips were about to touch, she pulled back from him abruptly. Raquel’s face was flushed, and he could see her chest rising and falling rapidly.

‘I’m sorry. I don’t kiss on the mouth. It’s... too personal,’ she disclosed with a regretful look in her eyes.


	5. Someone like you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly getting better at writing longer chapters (oops did I just jinx myself?). I realised that I haven't actually written any fiction since I was in high school, which was 10 years ago lol. So that's my excuse for being rusty with my writing.
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much to the readers, commenters, and kudos-leaving people! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for my fanfic, and knowing that you guys are enjoying it so much is definitely my motivation to keep updating. :)
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter, it's more LCDP than PW this time.

Raquel reluctantly shifted her face away from Sergio’s, but could still feel her skin tingle from the ghost of his breath on her lips. She hoped that he couldn’t hear the despondence in her voice, or the rapid beating of her heart that betrayed her true desires. ‘It’s a personal rule I established when I first started working the streets.’

‘Of course. You don’t have to explain yourself to me at all. I understand,’ Sergio replied. But Raquel couldn’t tell if the disappointment emanating from him was real or imagined. Here in front of her was a charming, talented, handsome, and dignified man that respected her -- and she was rejecting him. _No_ , _I need to protect myself_ . She had been wrong about men before. Once upon time, she had also believed her ex-husband Alberto to be all of the above. _Men easily lie, and they can deceive_. Raquel silently convinced herself that she had just narrowly avoided a dangerous trap.

‘Thank you,’ was all she could utter.

‘So…’ Sergio was trying to break the awkward silence.

‘Do you play anything contemporary?’ asked Raquel, helping him out.

‘Occasionally. If I hear a song that I like, then I may learn to play it. But most of the time I either play classical music, or compose scores for work,’ he smiled at her. ‘Is there something in particular that you wanted to hear?’ 

Raquel was a little taken aback by how sweet Sergio was being, even after she had just rejected his kiss. She wondered if maybe, just maybe, he truly was the gentleman that he appeared to be. ‘Well… actually, now that you mention it, I really love Van Morrison. Do you know him?’

Sergio looked ponderous for a few seconds. Then he turned back to the keyboard and began to play hesitantly. Raquel couldn’t believe her ears, as the romantic melody of “Someone Like You” resonated in the air. Again, she found her eyes glued to the way Sergio played with such skill and ease. Before she could stop herself, she had begun to softly sing the lyrics which had been ingrained in her since she first heard the song.

 _I’ve been travellin’ a hard road_ _  
__Baby, lookin’ for someone exactly like you_ _  
__I’ve been carryin’ my heavy load_ _  
__Waiting for the light to come shining through_

 _Someone like you makes it all worthwhile_   
_Someone like you keeps me satisfied_   
Someone exactly like you

Raquel could see that Sergio was a little startled when she initially started singing along, but he didn’t stop playing and flashed her a quick smile instead. When she got to the chorus, he even quietly joined in. The two of them playing and singing together somehow seemed like the most natural thing in the world, as though they had been doing this all their lives. Even though this wasn’t a date, and Sergio wasn’t serenading her, Raquel’s heart jittered in excitement at how amorous the situation seemed. And when the song ended, she had to use all of internal strength not to renege on her words and kiss him on the mouth. Luckily, Sergio had taken her words seriously from before, and did not do anything to encourage her.

‘You have a beautiful voice, Raquel.’

‘Thank you,’ she blushed in response.

‘No, really. I mean it. Have you ever thought about becoming a singer?’

Raquel laughed. ‘Please, Sergio. That would be as fantastical as a knight on a white horse coming to rescue me.’

‘It’s just that, in my field of work, I have worked with and heard many singers before. But none of them compare to you,’ he divulged quietly.

Raquel looked into Sergio’s dark eyes, and could tell that he was speaking the truth. But she decided that pipe-dreams should stay pipe-dreams, and changed the subject instead.

‘You must be tired. You’ve had a long night. Would you like to go to bed?’ Without waiting for an answer, Raquel stood up and walked over to the king size bed. She quickly re-tied her bathrobe which had slowly started becoming undone since her shower, and got under the sheets on the right side of the bed.

However, Sergio made no move to come over, and remained seated at the keyboard. His eyes then flitted back and forth between the bed and the sofa. Raquel could see what he was contemplating.

‘Really, Sergio! I won’t bite, you know. That sofa is way too small and uncomfortable for either of us to spend the night on. And this bed is huge. I can put pillows between us if you are really that worried,’ she sighed exasperatedly.

‘I-- okay. I’ll sleep on the bed too,’ came the defeated reply from Sergio.

Raquel watched as he turned off the room lights, then got under the covers on the right side of the bed. He lay on his back, as close as possible to the edge of the mattress, and she snorted loudly in disbelief. ‘There’s still plenty of space in the middle, you know. You don’t have to sleep so close to the edge,’ she tried to reassure him.

‘Right.’ Sergio responded by shuffling a few inches towards her so that he was no longer about to fall off the bed. He then turned to look at her to see if she approved.

Raquel rotated her head to the side, smiled, and nodded at him. Then she went back to staring at the ceiling. She could feel tiredness gradually sweeping over her, and closed her eyes.

‘Can I ask you something personal?’ came Sergio’s timid voice from the darkness.

Raquel opened her eyes and turned over onto her left side to face him. ‘Mmm?’

‘What made you decide to choose this line of work?’

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that Sergio had also turned his body to face her, and he was looking at her as though she was a puzzle that he couldn’t figure out.

‘Well… shit hit the fan in my life, and I needed a quick and easy way to make money. I also wanted to be my own boss. I was just sick and exhausted of all the fucking patriarchy at my old job. So when I left, I didn’t want to go to another job where I was being controlled by men again. In this job, I work for myself, I choose my clients and I choose my rates,’ Raquel explained.

‘I see. What was your old job?’ asked Sergio curiously.

‘I was a cop.’

‘And you left because…’

‘Because my ex-husband is a fucking asshole.’

Suddenly, Raquel felt her repressed emotions resurface. She hadn’t talked about what happened with Alberto or her work to anyone in months. And now, remembering everything all over again, was making her eyes brim with angry tears. 

‘Raquel? Are you okay?’ Sergio had moved closer and was now staring at her face intently. 

‘Yes. Sorry. It’s just been a while since I’ve talked about this.’

‘You don’t have to keep going. I’m sorry I asked,’ comforted Sergio worriedly.

‘No. I want to, actually. It’s probably good therapy for me,’ Raquel chuckled bitterly. ‘My ex-husband… he was abusive. It started with small things at first, like telling me to change my profile picture. Or to stop wearing mini skirts at work. Things that came across as sweet and protective. But then one day he raised his voice at me. And it became like one of those horror movies, where somebody goes down to the basement. It’s like going down some stairs little by little, and everybody thinks “Don’t go down, don’t do it!”. But you do it. That’s when he first hit me. Then a second time, and a third. And finally I got divorced.’

Tears were now rolling down her cheeks, as Raquel recounted her story.

‘Did you report him?’ Sergio was staring at her with concern in his eyes.

‘No. He was a police officer who was well-liked and popular. And I just wanted to forget about him. I guess… I was ashamed to sit down in front of my boss and tell him about a year and a half of humiliation and beatings. I was a woman with a 9mm gun in my holster, but really, I didn’t know a damn thing about how to protect myself.’ 

Raquel took a shaky breath before continuing. ‘And then, the real drama came a few months later. My sister fell in love with him, and they began dating. That was when I finally reported him, because I didn’t want her to go through the same thing that I did. But it was too late, and I had no evidence. I just seemed like a crazy, jealous woman, making false accusations.’

‘Raquel… Surely someone had to believe you,’ Sergio replied with desperation in his voice. ‘It’s impossible not to. I can see it in your face. There must be someone who could help you.’ 

Raquel scoffed. ‘Someone? Who’s going to help me?’

‘Me,’ Sergio stated angrily, before realising what he was saying. ‘Sorry. I don’t know how I could have helped you, but…’

Without waiting for him to finish, Raquel reached over with her right arm and held Sergio’s hand in her own. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, unable to remember the last time she felt so touched.

Hesitantly, Sergio lifted his free hand to her face, and used the pad of his thumb to caress the tears away from her face. ‘Thank you… for sharing your story with me, Raquel. Good night,’ he spoke softly. Sergio made no motion to remove his hand from her cheek, and Raquel couldn’t help but lean into his warm touch as she closed her eyes.


	6. A mother, a daughter, and a grandmother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all my readers. I know it's been a bit longer than usual since I updated, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. :) Please keep leaving comments as I love to hear your thoughts/feedback.

When Sergio awoke the next morning, it took him a few moments before he remembered where he was. As soon as his brain began to work again, he turned his head to check that Raquel was still there. He wasn’t sure why he felt such relief and _happiness_ when his eyes fell upon her angelic face, and he saw that she was still sleeping peacefully on her side next to him. Sergio’s eyes carefully explored her beautiful features, moving from north to south. He gazed at her long eyelashes, her high cheekbones, her elegant nose, her soft lips, and her sharp chin. Then, he fixated on the caramel tress of hair that had fallen out of place during her slumber, and was now obscuring part of Raquel’s face. Before he could even think to stop himself, he brought his fingers up to her face and gently tucked the hair back behind her ear. As soon as his fingertips brushed her face, Sergio felt her stir. _Shit!_ He continued watching to see if she would wake, but thankfully she merely readjusted her arm without changing her position. That was when he noticed that Raquel’s bathrobe was dangerously loose around her chest. The tie must have loosened significantly whilst she turned in her sleep during the night. Sergio gulped as his eyes lingered on her exposed chest. There was a substantial amount of cleavage, and the lapels of the robe were only just still covering her nipples. He could feel the blood in his body begin to rush south, and decided to take that as his cue to get out of bed.

Sergio decided to divert his attention away from his morning wood by ordering some breakfast through room service. He wondered what foods Raquel liked to eat in the morning, but realised he couldn’t even begin to guess. _Better to be safe than sorry._

‘Hello? Can I please get some room service? Just send up a little bit of everything on the breakfast menu. Thank you.’

Fifteen minutes later, Sergio had gotten dressed, and was now sitting at the small dining table reading the newspaper. In front of him lay a giant breakfast spread of cereal, toast, croissants, pastries, fruit, pancakes, waffles, yoghurt, and more.

‘Good morning.’

Sergio looked up from his paper, and smiled shyly at Raquel who was now approaching the table with curiosity. She was still wearing the bathrobe, but he could see that she had fixed it so that it was now once again tight around her body. 

‘Raquel, good morning. I, uhh, I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat. So I kind of just ordered everything,’ he replied nervously. 

Raquel’s face lit up with joy as she picked up a pastry. ‘I have to say, I’m not used to being treated to breakfast like this,’ she laughed. ‘It all looks so delicious. Thank you so much.’ She smiled warmly at Sergio, and he immediately felt strange in his chest.

‘You’re welcome.’ 

Suddenly Raquel narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You’re wearing glasses this morning,’ she pointed out.

‘Oh. Yes. I was wearing contacts yesterday… my brother thought I would look stupid wearing glasses to the Grammy’s,’ he revealed. ‘But actually, I usually wear my glasses all the time.’ He pushed the black frames up his nose, as if to highlight his point.

Raquel grinned at him. ‘I like the glasses, actually. I think they suit you. You look like a whole different person without them.’

‘Really?’

‘Like… Superman and Clark Kent,’ she smirked at him. 

Sergio couldn’t help but laugh. Then he anxiously checked his wristwatch and frowned.

‘Listen, I actually have a meeting with Andres that I need to go to now. But feel free to stay for as long as you need to get ready. Just let yourself out when you go.’ 

‘Oh. Okay. I’ll just take a quick shower then. I had fun last night Sergio… thank you.’ Raquel sounded genuine. But Sergio couldn’t help detecting a hint of disappointment in her voice. _Had she wanted him to stay?_ He realised it was a stupid thought as soon as it entered his mind. He must be imagining things.

He checked his watch again and realised he was going to be late soon. As he opened the hotel room door, he turned back to look at her. She was still holding the half-eaten pastry in her hand.

‘Goodbye Raquel. Please take care of yourself.’ 

***

Raquel couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely as Sergio left for his meeting. What she didn’t understand however, was _why_. She usually couldn’t wait to escape her clients the next morning, and rush home to see her family again. But then again, none of the men she usually attended had ever treated her so generously. Perhaps she was just disappointed that her next client probably wouldn’t be so kind, handsome, or charming. Raquel had obviously just lucked out last night, and she now realised that it would probably be the first and only time in her work that she didn’t even have to sex to get paid.

Deciding that there was no point in staying any longer, she quickly finished the rest of her pastry, and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

As soon as Raquel arrived home, she could hear loud chatter and pottering in the kitchen.

‘Mama? Paula?’ she called, as she made her way towards the noise.

‘Raquel! There you are. You’re just in time. Paula and I are making paella,’ her mother Marivi said as she embraced her.

‘Mami! I missed you,’ came Paula’s voice from below as she joined in the hug.

‘Si carino, I missed both you and abuela too,’ responded Raquel, kissing Paula’s forehead.

‘Raquel, why don’t you ask Alberto if he wants some paella too?’ suggested Marivi.

Raquel froze and her blood ran cold. 

‘Mama… Alberto doesn’t live with us anymore, remember? We’re divorced now,’ Raquel carefully reminded.

Marivi’s eyes went wide, and her hand went to her mouth. She shook her head. ‘Oh. Of course. I remember that. Why don’t you go rest? Paula and I have this under control.’

Raquel quickly left the kitchen, and went to her room. She closed the door, and leaned back against it, breathing hard. Tears stung her eyes. _Mama’s dementia is getting worse by the day._ Raquel reached into her trench coat pocket and took out her phone to check her bank balance. Andres’ payment to her last night had made a good contribution to her savings account. But it still wasn’t enough money for her to hire a full-time nurse or carer for her mother. She put her face in her hands and began to sob. _How am I going to make enough money in time before mama completely loses it?_ Raquel felt desperate and lost. Maybe she needed to work more hours with clients. As she thought about what else she could do, her phone began to vibrate with a call. Agata’s name lit up on her screen, and she swiftly answered.

‘Hola? Agata?’

‘Hola yourself, Raquel! What happened last night? You disappeared,’ complained her best friend.

‘I got a job from a new client. This strange guy called me up, asked if I wanted to make some good money, and sent me to his brother’s hotel room across the city.’

‘And???’ demanded Agata, her voice enthusiastic.

‘And what?’

‘Was he a good job?’

Raquel wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt timid discussing last night with Agata. This was what they always did -- debriefed with each other after seeing clients. It was therapeutic for both of them, to share their experiences and learn.

‘Well, yes. But we actually didn’t even have sex,’ Raquel finally confessed.

‘What?! But you got paid? What the fuck did you do the whole night then?’

When Raquel described what had happened the previous night with Sergio, she could hear Agata laughing in disbelief on the other end of the line.

‘Are you sure he wasn’t gay, Raquel?’

‘I’m pretty sure he got excited at one point, Agata. I think he was really just a gentleman.’

‘Dios mio, Raquel. That is the kind of guy we need to marry! Are you going to see him again? Because if you don’t, I will. To make that much money and not even have to fuck his brains out?! I can’t believe this!’

‘Agata, calm down. Honestly, I think it was a one-off time. I really don’t think he’s the type. Especially since it was his brother that arranged it in the first place. Neither of us will be seeing him ever again, I’m sure.’

‘Okay Raquel. Anyway, I have to go. I will be working tonight, let me know if you are too. Take care of you.’

‘Take care of you, Agata.’

Raquel sighed. For some reason, coming to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to ever see Sergio again made her feel depressed. She wished that every client she and Agata met could be as lovely as him. _Time to come back to the real world now, Raquel_. She pushed Sergio out of her head, and returned to the kitchen to check on Paula and her mother.


	7. A secret plan

Although Sergio was making his way to the cafe to meet Andres, his mind kept travelling back to Raquel. She would be long gone by the time he returned to his hotel room later. He lamented that they hadn’t talked more, but he couldn’t understand why he felt wistful at all. _What did it matter?_ She’s just a hooker that he had somehow happened to meet, and they would probably never see each other again. When he arrived at the cafe, he saw that Andres was already sitting at a table outside.

‘Hermanitooo!’ greeted Andres with zest. ‘Tell me. How was your night?’

‘Andres. What on Earth were you thinking, sending me a prostitute to my hotel room?!’ 

Sergio sat down at the table and glared across at Andres, who was now grinning sheepishly.

‘This is what happens when you refuse to have fun, Sergio. But you still haven’t answered my question. Given your radio silence last night, I have good reason to believe that you spent the whole evening with Lisbon. Am I right or wrong?’

‘Yes. She stayed, but only because she couldn’t get any transport back home at that time of the night,’ conceded Sergio.

‘And? Did you two enjoy yourselves?’ asked Andres expectantly.

‘We didn’t have sex, Andres.’

‘What?! But I paid her extremely well in advance. So what the hell did you do then?’

‘We just talked. And I played some keyboard for her. Honestly, Andres. What did you expect? You should know me better than that. I won’t sleep with a woman that I don’t have feelings for.’

Andres rolled his eyes. ‘When are you going to live a little, hermanito? It wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world for you to have sex. Believe it or not, it still feels amazing if you’re not in love. What a waste of money. Thank God we have plenty.’

It was now Sergio’s turn to roll his eyes. ‘If you keep throwing our money around like that, we won’t have any left, Andres.’

Andres laughed and began to study his younger brother’s face curiously. ‘Tell me, Sergio. Did you feel _anything_ at all last night with Lisbon? Because I met her before I sent her to you. And let me tell you, she was _stunning_. Not just sexy, but beautiful. And from the way she talked, it sounded like she also had brains. I find it hard to believe that she didn’t evoke anything in you, whether physical or emotional.’

Sergio mind retraced Raquel’s arrival in his hotel room, and a montage of memories began to play in his head. The way she had stripped off her trench coat to reveal a sexy black lingerie set. The delicate kisses that she initially trailed down his neck. Her red lips and chest, flushed from strawberries and champagne. Her slender fingers, warm and electric on his thigh. Her slightly husky, strong voice singing Van Morrison while he played the keyboard. Her face, so close to his that could have kissed. The tears on her cheeks as they shared stories in bed. Her soft hand, holding his as they fell asleep. Her loosened bathrobe, that almost revealed too much.

‘You’re blushing, hermanito,’ teased Andres.

Sergio’s mind quickly snapped back to reality, and he cleared his throat.

‘So I take it that you _did_ feel something?’ continued Andres.

‘I-It’s very hard not to feel something when a beautiful woman is standing before you. A-and not wearing very many clothes. And-and also starts touching you in places that you’re not usually touched,’ stuttered Sergio, face completely red with embarrassment now.

‘You’re human after all, Sergio! I must say that I’m relieved. I was beginning to think that you were asexual.’ Andres grinned broadly, eyes twinkling with happiness. ‘Do you want to see her again?’

‘No!’ lied Sergio instantaneously. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to become involved in his personal life. Not that he even had one. But if he did, he’d much rathered Andres stayed out of it.

Andres examined Sergio’s face scrupulously, as if he could see right through him. But his brother uncharacteristically remained silent and pensive.

Sergio seized the opportunity to change the subject matter. ‘So let’s talk business, like we were supposed to. You mentioned that you met someone last night who’s interested in working with me?’

‘Yes. His name is Martin Berrote and he’s directing a new and upcoming project. It’s a Netflix series named La Casa de Papel, about a money heist. But they need someone to write and compose the music for it. After your Grammy win last night, Martin was very interested in meeting you.’

‘I don’t know Andres… that sounds like a lot of work. I like doing movies because there’s a clear start and finish to my job. With a series, it could last anywhere from one year to five or more. I won’t be able to commit to any other projects that I want to do in the future.’

‘While that’s certainly true, you could also see this as an exciting and new adventure. Sergio, you’re always saying how composing music can become boring and formulaic. Writing for a TV series will be different enough to stimulate that underworked brain of yours. It will be an unsolved challenge for you,’ tempted Andres.

Sergio sighed. ‘I’ll think about it…’

‘Great! You have a dinner meeting with Martin tonight at your hotel restaurant. He’s bringing his business lawyer, Angel with him so that you can discuss the contract too.’

‘What?! Andres, that sounds like you’ve already accepted the proposal on my behalf,’ accused Sergio with an incredulous face.

‘Relax hermanito. We haven’t signed anything yet. You can still back out. I just thought it was too good a deal to pass up, so I agreed to Martin’s business dinner,’ reassured Andres. ‘You have nothing to worry about. You’ll see that Martin will be able to ease all your concerns when you talk tonight.’

Sergio frowned, unhappy that his brother had made decisions for him as usual, without his consent. But he also realised that Andres was right. Composing music for a TV series would definitely be a novel experience for him. And he was always eager to challenge himself musically. 

‘Fine. What time are we meeting Martin and Angel?’

‘About that hermanito… I actually have plans with Tatiana this evening. She will kill me if I cancel our date night for the fourth time this month.’

Sergio glared at his brother. ‘You mean I have to go by myself? You know I hate being outnumbered in social company, Andres. I’m not an extrovert like you. Also, what if they try to pull a fast one on me with the contract?’ he began to panic.

‘Sergio. Calm down. I don’t think they are bringing a contract tonight. They just want to discuss the project with you, and gauge your potential partnership. In terms of being outnumbered, you could just bring a date. That way, you keep the meeting casual.’

Sergio almost guffawed out loud. ‘A _date_ ? I barely even know any women, Andres. You _know_ that. Who am I supposed to bring?’

Andres suddenly smiled devilishly at him. ‘What about Lisbon?’

Sergio gawked at his manager in disbelief and readjusted his glasses. ‘ _No_.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because.’

‘Think about it Sergio. Lisbon’s job is to offer her company. Tonight, you need some company. And you don’t have to sleep with her… unless you want to of course,’ persuaded Andres. ‘Also, it seems like you had a good time last night. You could just think of her as a friend that you pay for their time.’

Sergio didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, Andres was making excellent sense with his argument. But on the other hand, he felt nervous and terrified and he wasn’t sure why. Less than an hour ago, he had actually been feeling somewhat mournful about not seeing Raquel again. _So why was his heart thumping loudly in his chest?_

Andres appeared to sense the internal struggle happening within Sergio, and thoughtfully took a sip from his cup of coffee before surprising Sergio with what he said next.

‘You know what Sergio, forget I said anything about Lisbon. You’ll be fine by yourself. Just enjoy the meal, discuss the series, talk about the music you’ve composed before. It’ll be over before you realise. And then I’m sure Martin will contact me tomorrow if he wants to formalise the partnership.’

Sergio narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Andres. It was strange and uncharacteristic for his older brother to not persist with an idea that he had only freshly suggested. Perhaps Andres was finally beginning to understand that Sergio had had enough of being dragged into his manager’s plans against his will.

‘Okay…’ accepted Sergio. ‘Are you positive that you can’t reschedule with Tatiana tonight?’

‘It would be grounds for divorce, hermanito. I promise you will be perfectly alright without me. Dinner is at 8pm, and the reservation will be under Martin’s name,’ encouraged Andres. ‘Now… I actually realised that I need to organise some things for this evening. With Tatiana. So I must get going now. I’ll call you tomorrow, adios!’ winked his manager with a mischievous smile.

Sergio watched as Andres briskly walked out of the cafe, pulling his phone out to make a call as he left. He pondered what things he would need to organise for his date night with Tatiana. As far as he was concerned, all they ever did was make love like rabbits during their free time. He shuddered at the thought of his brother having sex, and decided that he too should get back to his hotel room. Meeting people was exhausting, and he needed to re-energise by being solitary for a few hours so that he could be his best self for tonight. 

***

To say that Sergio felt uneasy was an understatement. He had never been to a business meeting without Andres by his side before. It wasn’t so much the comfort of his presence, but his brother had the gift of the gab, whilst he was the polar opposite. He was awkward, uncharismatic, and often stumbled over his own words. Sergio hoped that Martin and Angel didn’t expect him to discuss anything other than his area of expertise, which was music composition and the piano. He flicked his wrist to check the time: it was 8pm on the dot now. He headed over to the maitre d’, and cleared his throat. 

‘Hello. I have a reservation under Martin Berrote please,’ declared Sergio, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

‘Ah, yes sir. You’re right on time. A table for four, correct?’ replied the maitre d’.

Sergio frowned. ‘It should be for three…’

The maitre d’ carefully inspected the reservation book with his finger before responding.

‘I can see here that the original reservation was indeed for three guests. We received an amendment this afternoon for four people, however.’

‘Wha--’ Sergio stopped talking abruptly. A petite woman wearing an elegant, black, off-the-shoulder, cocktail dress was walking over to him. A matching necklace adorned her neck. Her golden-coloured hair was fixed in an elegant ponytail. As she approached, she smiled warmly at him.

‘Hola, sorry I’m late.’

It was Raquel.


	8. A business deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all for the continued kudos and comments! Some of you are so sweet, and it really motivates me to work hard on this fic. Thank you so much for all your support!
> 
> Also, I made an Instagram: @serquelskies  
> I will be posting pictures from either LCDP or PW that are relevant to the chapters. When I figure out how, I will also post music that makes me think of Serquel.

Raquel observed Sergio’s face, and immediately saw shock and confusion.

‘Is everything okay?’ she inquired, turning to look at the maitre d’, then back at Sergio again.

‘Excuse us,’ Sergio pardoned to the patiently waiting staff member. He gestured with his head for Raquel to step a metre away with him so that they could speak privately.

‘Raquel, what are you doing here?’ Sergio asked, as soon as they were out of earshot.

‘What do you mean? You hired me to keep you company tonight for your business meeting, no? Andres...’ Raquel paused as a realisation formed in her head. ‘Andres called me this afternoon. He said that you needed a date, but didn’t know any women, and thought of me. But… this wasn’t your idea at all, was it?’

Sergio closed his eyes and sighed deeply, readjusting his glasses.

‘No. It seems like Andres has made arrangements without telling me again. I’m so sorry he has inconvenienced you a second time, Raquel,’ he apologised.

Raquel laughed aloud. _How many times was Sergio going to let his brother trick him?_

‘Sergio, I think you and your brother have some issues you need to discuss maybe,’ she suggested coyly.

‘I know. But right now I have a business meeting I need to attend.’ Sergio’s eyes shifted nervously to the restaurant behind them.

‘I think I can guess what you are going to say next, Sergio,’ anticipated Raquel. ‘But I want you to know that Andres has already paid me for tonight in advance again. I’m more than happy to be your date tonight. Your brother may be sneaky, but he also seems to care a lot about you, Sergio. He told me that you hate talking to strangers by yourself. And although this is not a service that I’m usually hired for, I think I would be able to help you feel more at ease tonight. It’s basically my job to talk to strangers.’

Sergio silently stared into her eyes as she spoke. Raquel could see that he felt anxious, and wasn’t sure how to proceed next. 

‘Vamos!’ Without giving him a choice, she grinned and grabbed Sergio’s hand, interlacing their fingers and leading him back towards the restaurant.

‘We are ready to be seated now, thank you,’ Raquel stated to the maitre d’.

‘Of course, madam.’ The maitre d’ smiled and beckoned them to follow him to their table.

As they approached the table, Raquel observed two men in suits who were already seated and casually chatting. One of the men was older, shorter, and on the tubbier side. He wore plastic rectangular frames, and sported a scruffy, greying beard. The other male looked noticeably younger and more fashionable. He had a trendy haircut, and was clean-shaven. It was the latter of the two gentlemen who noticed them coming, and nudged his companion to stand up to greet their arrival.

‘Sergio! It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I am Martin Berrote,’ he proclaimed in a suave manner, extending his hand. He then gestured to the dumpy man by his side. ‘And this is Angel Rubio, my lawyer.’ Angel nodded and smiled at Sergio. 

At this point, Sergio finally let go of Raquel’s hand which he had still been holding.

‘Nice to meet you, Martin. Angel.’ Sergio shook both men’s hands before turning to introduce her. ‘This is...’ 

‘I’m Raquel,’ she finished confidently, sensing Sergio’s uncertainty.

‘Ah yes, Andres did inform me that you were bringing someone this afternoon. But I did not realise that she would be such a magnificent beauty,’ winked Martin. Without missing a beat, he captured Raquel’s hand and kissed it.

Raquel politely smiled in return at Martin. When she looked at Angel however, he stared at her as if drinking in her appearance, and his gaze lingered uncomfortably on the bare skin that her dress was not covering. His trance remained unbroken until Raquel offered the gawking man her hand to shake too.

‘Well, shall we?’ Martin waved his arms, signalling all four of them to sit down. ‘I’ve already ordered us all some champagne, I hope you don’t mind.’ 

Over the course of appetisers, entree, and main dishes, Raquel gradually began to see that Martin was an extremely confident, if not narcissistic type of man. But what bothered her more was the way Angel kept ogling at her. He was acting exactly the same way as the drunken perverts who often walked past her when she worked the streets. The men who she could tell were secretly depraved inside, and for whom she would inflate her prices so that they could not afford her services.

‘Andres says that you are quite the musical genius, Sergio. And obviously he is right, since you are now the proud owner of a Grammy award,’ Martin complimented.

Raquel could see that Sergio felt awkward and was unsure how to respond, so she jumped in.

‘Si, he is. He’s played a live performance for me, and it was magical,’ she revealed as she smiled and affectionately squeezed Sergio’s left shoulder. Sergio responded by shifting his dark eyes to make contact with hers, and in them she could see warmth and appreciation.

‘As I mentioned before, La Casa de Papel is a series full of action, intensity, twists and turns. We truly need someone who understands how to compose the music to convey all that energy and high emotion. I have seen and heard some of the compositions you’ve produced for similar types of films. I can tell that you do not just create music, but you strategise it perfectly, obsessively, to make it fit. We need an expert like you, Sergio. We would be honoured for you to compose for us. Even if it is just the first season.’ 

For the first time during the dinner, Raquel could see that Martin had finally said something that resonated with the pianist. A fire had ignited in Sergio’s eyes, and he pushed his glasses up his nose with concentration, before beginning to explain his whole musical process. She hadn’t seen him talk so animatedly, or passionately about anything up until this point. The beautiful childlike happiness that Sergio was emanating made Raquel’s heart smile, and she found herself greatly admiring him and his clear talent for music.

After dessert was finished, the conversation began to wrap up, and Raquel could see that Sergio was feeling much more confident and at ease with Martin and the business deal. 

‘Sergio. I hope that I have managed to convince you tonight, what a great partnership we would have working on La Casa de Papel together. I would love to be able to finalise the contract with Angel this week and then meet with you again to formalise everything,’ pleaded Martin.

Sergio readjusted his glasses, and combed his fingers through his black, wavy hair. _There it is again. His tell tale signs of nervousness._ Without changing her expression, Raquel subtly maneuvered her hand under the dinner table, and found Sergio’s hand resting on his thigh. She gave his fingers a firm, but gentle squeeze, and hoped that he would understand what she was communicating. _It’s a fantastic opportunity, Sergio._

‘Vale. Let’s do it,’ Sergio announced, breaking out into a shy grin.

‘Gracias, Sergio! I promise you, you will not regret this.’ Martin’s reaction was so ecstatic, Raquel almost thought that he was going to grab Sergio’s face and kiss him right on the lips. ‘Angel, I want all your efforts put into making that contract perfect.’

Angel momentarily ceased looking at Raquel long enough to nod at Martin.

‘Well, I’m sure you must be tired, Sergio. Shall we call it a night? I will be in touch through Andres once Angel finishes the paperwork. And it was a pleasure to meet you, stunning Raquel. Behind every great man is indeed a great woman,’ Martin schmoozed. ‘Come Angel, let’s go. We have lots of work to do tomorrow.’

As the two men stood up however, Angel carelessly bumped the table. Raquel watched in horror as the glass of red wine in front of her lurched forward and spilled its contents all over her lap in slow motion. 

‘Ah, mierda! Raquel, lo siento mucho!’ Angel cried out in anguish. Martin’s face was a mix of disbelief and anger. Sergio’s mouth was hanging open with shock.

Raquel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Fucking idiot!_ She wanted to scream. This was the best cocktail dress that she owned, and now it was probably ruined.

Suddenly she felt someone dabbing a napkin on her. She opened her eyes to see Sergio cautiously soaking up the liquid, and futilely trying to salvage her dress.

‘It’s fine,’ she lied, glaring at Angel.

‘Raquel, we are so very sorry. Please, let us pay for your dry cleaning or a new dress,’ Martin apologised whilst Angel picked at his fingernail guiltily.

‘No, don’t worry about it. This dress was quite old anyway. The two of you should head off,’ she insisted. ‘Sergio and I can sort this out.’

Martin hesitated. ‘Raquel, we will send you a cheque via Andres. Vamos, Angel. Let’s go and pay the bill before you damage anything else.’

Raquel felt relieved as both men left. ‘You can stop dabbing Sergio, it’s okay. I don’t think anymore red wine is going to come out,’ she lamented.

‘Okay. But why did you lie, Raquel? I can tell that your dress is not old at all. In fact it looks like you’ve barely worn it. It’s in fantastic condition.’ Sergio muttered as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers and examined the dress closely.

Raquel couldn’t help but laugh at how observantly clever Sergio was. ‘I just wanted them to hurry up and leave before I punched Angel,’ she confessed. ‘Sergio… do you think that it would be okay if I come up to your hotel suite and use your bathroom? I’d like to try and get this stain out with some soap and water. I would use the restroom here, but I don’t think they’d appreciate me taking my dress off in a public place.’

‘Of course, Raquel. It’s the least that I can do for you after tonight. Let’s go.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Palermo & Angel in this chapter... and I hope y'all are ready for the next one bc I have grand plans ;)


	9. Formal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many of you have probably been waiting and looking forward to this chapter from the start (I know I have). I really hope that I met your expectations. :)
> 
> Also, I feel the need to apologise in advance if you find any typos/errors/inconsistencies in my chapters. I don't have an editor/beta/proofreader, and usually I will write and then upload it asap. I'm also sorry if I ever misuse the Spanish language! I only know very minimal Spanish, my first language is English.
> 
> Thank you for all your continued support!

Sergio waited until he could hear the basin faucet running before he knocked on the bathroom door.

‘Come in,’ came Raquel’s voice from the other side.

She was now wearing the familiar white hotel bathrobe, and was soaking her black cocktail dress in the sink, and she looked up to smile at him as he entered the room.

‘You should use cold water, not hot,’ Sergio offered.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Hot water can actually make the stain permanent,’ he explained. He hummed thoughtfully and crossed his arms. ‘Perhaps I should call the hotel staff to bring us some baking soda too.’

Raquel raised a curious eyebrow at him.

‘The reaction between baking soda and water can be extremely effective at eliminating most stains,’ he continued.

Unexpectedly, she began to chuckle. 

‘I didn’t know that in addition to being a pianist, you were also a chemistry professor,’ Raquel teased playfully.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to lecture you,’ Sergio blushed.

‘No, no, I’m just impressed with your breadth of knowledge,  _ professor _ ,’ she grinned. Raquel carefully inspected the wet dress in the basin. ‘Hmm… I think most of the red wine is slowly coming out actually. We probably don’t need the baking soda.’

‘If you’re sure.’

‘I think I’ll just leave it here to soak for a little bit longer.’

‘Of course.’ Sergio shifted awkwardly and nudged his glasses up his nose. An abrupt realisation came to him, and he began to contemplate the exact instructions Andres had given Raquel.  _ Had she been paid only to stay for the duration of dinner? Or had she been asked to accompany him for the whole night?  _ Raquel was in his hotel room, half naked, for the second night in the row. But unlike the first time, tonight he felt nervous, because somewhere deep down, he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to leave.

‘So, are we just going to keep standing here and watch the stain come out, or should we do something remotely more interesting?’ Raquel’s voice roused Sergio from his troubling thoughts.

‘Yes. Uhh, should we put the TV on?’

‘Sure.’

They both walked out of the bathroom and sat down at the end of the bed. Sergio flicked through the various TV channels, before settling on the same comedy show that Raquel had been watching yesterday. 

‘You remembered?’ she smiled shyly at him.

As she started to pay attention to the show, and giggle along, Sergio couldn’t help but notice how melodic her laughter was. Instead of focusing on the TV, he kept watching Raquel. She was objectively attractive, but that wasn’t what he found so mesmerising about her. There was something deeper than that, perhaps her energy and charisma, that charmed him. And this evening at dinner, she had made him feel so  _ safe _ , so comfortable and reassured somehow. When she had sweetly squeezed his hand under the table, he had felt a tingle run straight through him. When she had complimented him, he had felt true sincerity and genuineness. When she had conversed so easily with Martin and Angel, he had felt in awe of her confidence and obvious intelligence.

Now, he was appreciating the way her honey hair was cascading on her shoulders. The way her eyes were full of light when she was amused. The way the corners of her mouth quivered up before she laughed out loud. The way her body was a perfect silhouette, with curves in all the right places. Sergio hadn’t felt, hadn’t thought, in this way about anyone. Not even with the few past girlfriends he’d had. They have been relationships he had just kind of fallen into without much thought, and they had all ended as quickly as they had started.  _ Fuck _ .  _ I like her. _ The revelation sent his heart beating into a frenzy. And suddenly, he wanted to smack his head against a wall for feeling this way about a prostitute that he had just met. 

‘I can see you staring out of the corner of my eye, you know,’ Raquel suddenly stated. She turned to look at him with a questioning face.

Sergio silently cursed himself for being so obvious, and tried to think of an excuse.

‘I, uhh… I’m just really grateful that you were at the dinner with me tonight. You were right, and you helped me feel so much more at ease with Martin and Angel,’ he confessed, deciding to be as honest as he could with her.

‘It was my pleasure, Sergio. I’m glad that I could help, really,’ Raquel smiled warmly. ‘And not just because your brother paid me to,’ she quickly added. ‘I genuinely think you’re extremely talented. You deserve to work on exciting new projects. So I’m excited to have supported you in making that happen.’

Hearing her say such heartfelt and moving words, Sergio spontaneously broke character before his brain could kick in.

‘A-are you.. Are you staying here tonight?’ 

As soon as the words left his lips, he felt dread and regret. However, as his gaze met with Raquel’s, she studied his face seriously, as if trying to decipher his true meaning. Sergio tried to swallow, but his throat was inhumanly dry. His heart was pounding deafeningly in his chest. He could feel sweat prick his scalp.

Then Raquel appeared to find the implicit answer that she was looking for. Her golden eyes locked onto his own, and she leaned in slowly. She was so close now, her lips were hovering right next to his cheek. Sergio found himself frozen. A soft kiss was placed on his jaw, and his eyes fluttered closed with exhilaration. This time, Sergio didn’t have the mindset or fortitude to stop Raquel from proceeding.  _ He wanted her to keep going _ . And somehow, she knew.

Raquel continued to press her lips along his jaw, then down his neck, turning Sergio’s breathing shallow. When she got to his chest, she slowly unfastened the buttons of his dress shirt. The feeling of cold air hitting his torso was contrasted with the heat of Raquel’s kisses, which were travelling further and further south. As the kisses reached his belly button, she pushed Sergio’s jacket and shirt off his shoulders, and threw them to the side of the bed. She made eye contact with him, silently checking that he was okay with what was happening. He gave a small nod to signal his consent.  _ What am I doing? _ But he couldn’t think for long, because next, her hands were deftly undoing his belt buckle and pants. Sergio groaned from the arousal he was feeling, watching her undress him. She pulled his pants down, pooling them around his ankles. Then she was promptly in between his legs, knees on the floor. She tucked her fingers inside the band of his boxer shorts, and carefully shimmied them down his thighs until they were reunited with his trousers. Sergio’s erection sprung free, and if he wasn’t so turned on, he probably would have been extremely embarrassed. Raquel beamed widely at his arousal, and wasted no time in wrapping her fingers around him. Then she lowered her face and gently flicked her tongue on the underside of his head. Sergio bit his lower lip to keep from moaning loudly. It had been quite a while since he had been intimate with someone. However, there was no holding back when Raquel began to take his whole length into her mouth. She expertly swirled her tongue around his head, licking and sucking him with vigour. 

‘Oh God,  _ Raquel _ .’

As if spurred on by his vocalisations, she took him even deeper into her throat, and it took all of his strength not to come right then and there. Her hands moved up and down his shaft, caressing whatever was not in her mouth. When he felt his legs begin to tremble, she pulled back and stopped her ministrations. 

Standing up, Raquel untied her bathrobe and shrugged it off, leaving it on the floor. She was wearing a red, lacy, strapless bra with a matching g-string. The sight was so seductive, Sergio’s member throbbed in pleasure. Grinning, Raquel procured a condom that was tucked into her bra cup. In one swift motion, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, tossing it to the floor. Then she pulled down her undies, and kicked them aside. Sergio stared hungrily at her naked form. She looked absolutely,  _ perfectly,  _ beautiful. He only had a second to admire her though, because in the next, Raquel was ripping open her prized golden circle condom and sliding it onto him. 

‘Wait,’ Sergio found himself suddenly saying, just as Raquel was about to straddle him.

Raquel looked at him with bewilderment. 

Although Sergio was hardly an expert at sex (quite the contrary actually), he knew that women needed foreplay too. He reached up to caress her face, then stood up so that they were at the same level. Mustering all of his courage, Sergio closed the distance between them to softly kiss and suck on her neck, attempting to give her the same pleasure that she had given him. When Raquel let out a quiet moan, he felt emboldened to continue. Carefully, he maneuvered her body so that she was now lying back on the bed. Then he resumed grazing her body with his lips. Tentatively, he delicately cupped her right breast with his hand, and observed her sighing with pleasure. He lightly pinched her nipple, then brought his head down to suck on it.

‘Mmmm,’ Raquel moaned with her eyes closed.

Sergio repeated his actions to her left breast, then commenced his descent down her body. He planted kisses down her ribcage, her stomach, and her hips until he reached his destination. She was neatly trimmed with a landing strip, probably what she thought her clients preferred on a woman. Raquel spread her legs eagerly as he kissed the inside of her thighs, and when he finally placed his mouth on her center, he felt her left hand settle enthusiastically in his hair. Sergio desperately hoped that he would be able to fluke his way through this. He cautiously sucked on her most sensitive spot, drawing a loud moan from Raquel. Then he began to lick, exploring her folds, alternating different patterns, and paying close attention to the things that elicited the most satisfaction from her. When his tongue finally found its way inside her entrance and began to thrust, Raquel’s vocalisations became increasingly breathless, until she abruptly pushed his head away. He gazed up with wet lips and saw that her eyes were clouded with lust. 

‘Sergio,’ she panted. 

And that was enough for him to understand. He pushed himself up off of his elbows, and positioned himself at her entrance. His erection was still strong, sustained by Raquel’s endless moaning whilst he had been pleasuring her. Sergio pressed his tip against her wet entrance, and gently pushed in. He closed his eyes from the pure ecstasy of Raquel’s tightness and heat. Then he felt Raquel’s hands squeeze his thighs, and he opened his eyes. She was gazing up at him with desire, and something else he couldn’t quite identify. Slowly, Sergio began to move, sliding in and out, sending waves of pleasure through both of them. After a while, he could feel the tension building in his lower body, and knew that he wouldn’t last much longer. He placed his left hand on her ass, squeezing it firmly, and brought his right hand back to her center of pleasure, drawing tight circles.

‘Oh my God, yesss,’ Raquel hissed, her whole body trembling.

Sergio continued rocking his hips more frantically, driving himself faster and deeper into her. Within a few seconds, Raquel gasped, her hands desperately clutching at the pillow behind her, and her whole back arched up as she received her release. The sensation of her inner walls contracting around him instantly sent Sergio over the edge, and he groaned carnally as he spent himself.

For a few moments, they stayed still in their positions, merely catching their breaths. When he regained self-control, Sergio gingerly removed the condom, tying it up and throwing it into the bin by the bedside table. He lay down beside Raquel on the bed, and turned his head to examine her. She was also breathing rapidly, but the expression on her face was unreadable. Internally, his brain initiated the usual habit of thinking in overdrive.  _ Had he just broken one of his own rules? What happened to his principles? What is Raquel thinking of him now? _ And the one thought that he positively refused to entertain:  _ Did she only have sex with me because she was paid to? _

After what felt like an eternity, Raquel pulled the bed sheets up over them, and broke the uncomfortable silence.

‘So that’s what I missed out on yesterday, huh?’ 

Although she had said it in a joking tone, her eyes appeared to be full of sincerity. Sergio blushed, unsure how to respond.

‘I guess that’s another skill I can add to your list of talents,’ Raquel grinned at him. 

‘I-is it?’ Sergio stuttered in surprise.

‘Well, I don’t want you to get a big head, but you were exceptional,’ she teased.

Sergio didn’t think it was possible, but he felt his cheeks burn even hotter, and he smiled at her with embarrassment.

‘Thank you?’

Raquel laughed, her whole face lighting up like the sun.

‘I’m glad that you stopped being so formal with me,’ she uttered shyly.

Sergio felt the strange fluttering feeling return to his heart. Suddenly, all that he wanted to do was pull Raquel against his chest and embrace her tightly. But he couldn’t, because he still didn’t understand what had just happened, what it meant for him, and what it meant to her. So instead, he settled for admiring her face, and being honest with himself.

‘Me too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually my first time writing smut, I hope you all found it okay!


	10. Very expensive

Raquel awoke to the pleasant and distinct aroma of freshly-made coffee filling her senses. She inhaled deeply, relishing in the delicious scent, before opening her bleary eyes to the day. The space next to her on the bed was vacant, as she had expected. Sergio must have ordered them breakfast from room service again. It warmed Raquel’s heart to consider the notion that he was so consistently thoughtful and caring towards her. Her mind drifted back to the previous night, and she couldn’t suppress the satisfied grin that crept upon her face. Sleeping with him had been... _something else entirely_. She couldn’t recall the last time a lover had shown her such devotion during sex. Her clients usually only cared about their own needs, which was fair, considering they were the ones paying. And back then with Alberto… well, Alberto had always been selfish from the start, a red flag that she had obviously missed early on in their relationship. Last night though, Sergio had made love to her as though she was more than just a hooker. How he had tenderly savoured her, and ensured that she was thoroughly pleasured… it sent chills through her body to think about.

But Raquel couldn’t help mulling over the memory of her first meeting with the spectacled gentleman, and how he had been adamant that sex should be reserved for love and romance. “ _I don’t have sex with prostitutes._ ” She agonised over how she should interpret why he had slept with her. _Had he noticed her fondness for him during dinner? Had he realised how eagerly_ she _desired him? Had he just been really horny? Maybe he changed his views about the act of sex?_ And then there was the one question that she resolutely denied herself from contemplating. It was the question that made her heart skip a beat. _Get a grip, Raquel. Nobody develops feelings for prostitutes like some kind of fairytale._ After mentally berating herself, she decided to finally get out of bed. Finding her bathrobe where she had last left it, she quickly wrapped it around herself and headed towards the dining table.

Sergio glanced up from his phone and smiled in his usual warm manner as she approached. _God, how it made her want to melt_. 

‘Morning,’ Raquel greeted softly, voice still slightly hoarse from sleep.

‘Good morning. I ordered us some coffee and pastries for breakfast. I hope it’s okay, I noticed that you reached for the pastries last time, so…’ Sergio trailed off shyly, and fixed his glasses. 

‘You have some excellent observational skills, and memory. I’m impressed again.’

‘Well, as you said, I’m a professor, in addition to being a pianist right?’ he joked.

Raquel giggled, remembering his laundry advice… _FUCK!_

‘Fuck fuck fuck!’ she suddenly squealed. ‘My cocktail dress, I left it soaking in the basin all night. I completely forgot to go back to it,’ Raquel groaned and rushed to the bathroom.

Sergio immediately followed, and stood in the doorway watching as she gingerly lifted the drenched dress out of the sink and wrung it out.

‘Well, on the bright side, I think the stain is completely out… But I don’t think I’m going to be able to wear this home when it’s this wet.’

‘Perhaps… perhaps I can go out and buy you some clothes then?’ offered Sergio, looking pensive.

‘No, no, that’s too much trouble, Sergio.’ Raquel bit her lip, thinking a little. ‘Hmm… do you have a spare shirt and belt that I could maybe borrow?’

‘Y-yes, I do.’ Sergio raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively.

‘Do you mind?’

‘No, not at all.’ He walked over to the large, black suitcase in the corner, and unzipped it to reveal several sets of neatly folded dress shirts, trousers, and blazers. ‘Are these okay?’ Sergio held up a light grey shirt and black leather belt.

‘Yes, perfect. Thank you.’ Raquel took the shirt and belt from him, then spotted her red lingerie on the floor, wandering over to reclaim the red bra and panties. 

As she untied her robe to get changed, she looked over to see Sergio cough and awkwardly turn his body to look around the room so that he wasn’t watching her strip.

‘It’s nothing you haven’t already seen,’ Raquel smirked.

The shy man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and blushed a vivid red, but didn’t reply. _Does he regret what happened between them?_

Raquel finished buttoning up the grey shirt on herself, then slipped the belt around her waist and buckled it up. It wasn’t _quite_ long enough to be a modest-looking dress, but it covered her ass, and that was all she could hope for in this situation.

‘St-still. That was then, and this is now, and-and I didn’t want to presume anything, or come off as a pervert,’ Sergio finally disclosed bashfully. 

‘You can turn around now,’ Raquel grinned.

Sergio’s smile reached his eyes when he laid eyes on her make-shift outfit.

‘It’s a little bit risque, but… you look really good,’ he complimented.

‘Thank you.’

‘A-are you leaving now?’

‘I am.’ Raquel tried her best not to sound disappointed. ‘I should go home and check on my mother.’

‘I see.’

‘She’s… she’s not well. She has the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease, actually. So, I need to make sure she’s okay.’ Raquel hadn’t told anybody, except for her sister Marta, and of course Agata, about her mother. And she never mentioned her family to her clients. However, for some reason she felt safe telling Sergio, that she could trust him. And yet, she was hesitant to mention Paula. _Would he think of me differently, knowing that I have a young daughter?_

‘Of course... That must be extremely difficult for you.’

‘Yes, it’s hard because she had good days as well as bad days. Waking up and not knowing which one it will be… And having to consider at what point she will need a full-time carer… Those are the most stressful things,’ Raquel confessed with heartbreak in her voice. 

‘I-is that why you do this job? You mentioned last time that you needed money…’

‘Si. I did a lot of research about facilities, and hiring nurses or carers… and it’s all immensely expensive.’ Raquel could feel her eyes welling up with tears.

Sergio nodded solemnly and approached her.

‘I’m sorry you have to go through this, Raquel.’

Timidly, he reached out his hand and lightly touched her shoulder. She looked into his brown orbs, filled with emotion and sincerity. 

‘Thank you.’

Without knowing who initiated it first, in the next moment, they were hugging. Raquel’s head rested upon Sergio’s chest, and her arms wrapped around his waist. She felt his left hand on her back, and his right was on the back of her head, stroking her hair. Their embrace felt uncannily perfect, and Raquel’s worry began to temporarily dissipate as Sergio comforted her. And she wished that this feeling could last forever, but all too soon, he began to pull away.

‘Listen, Raquel. I’m in town until the end of the week, and… well I’m sure you know by now, I don’t really have any friends here. I’m actually going to see an opera tonight, and I wondered- I wondered if you’d mind joining me,’ Sergio mumbled hastily in one breath, and she could tell that he was slightly nervous about asking. ‘I would compensate you for your time and company, of course,’ he quickly added. ‘Unless you already have plans...’

‘No, no. I- I would love to join you tonight, Sergio. Thank you for asking me,’ Raquel smiled at him, eyes lighting up. 

Sergio immediately broke out into a relieved grin.

‘Vale. Will you meet me back here at 7pm tonight then?’

‘Sure.’

‘Oh. You will probably need another cocktail dress for tonight… Andres messaged me this morning, and Martin has already sent him a cheque on behalf of Angel. I don’t have the cheque obviously… but you can borrow my credit card to go shopping now, if you like.’

Raquel mentally deliberated over Sergio’s suggestion. A new cocktail dress _would_ be lovely, especially since her current one wasn’t in wearing condition at the moment. And the shopping district was right down the street from the hotel.

‘Okay. I’ll just call home first to check on my mother and make sure she’s fine.’

‘Bueno. Here’s my card. Please don’t hesitate to spend however much you need to.’

***

Raquel walked down the busy street, accidentally bumping into multiple people as she texted Agata on her phone. If she had been watching where she was going, she would have noticed the strange stares that passersby were giving her thanks to her outfit. But she was too focused on typing out a message to care.

[11:19:05 >>] Hola, Nairobi. Are you free for lunch? I really need to debrief. 

[11:20:18 <<] Lisboa! Where are you? Are you okay?

[11:20:50 >>] In town. Can you come around 12pm? I have some shopping to do first. 

[11:21:22 <<] Of course. Message me the restaurant address. See you later.

Raquel sighed in relief at being able to see Agata later. Somehow, her confident best friend always gave the best advice, and she wasn’t afraid of being blunt when needed. Surely Agata would be able to help her make sense of things with Sergio.

As Raquel walked past a particularly fancy looking boutique, she glimpsed some gorgeous cocktail dresses in the window. _Perfect!_ A little bell chimed as she opened the front door and walked in. The interior of the shop was even more extravagant than the outside. Everything was clean, white, and elegant. Two ladies in white ensembles turned to greet her, but as they laid eyes on her, they glanced meaningfully at each other and pursed their lips in disapproval. 

‘May I help you?’ the older of the two ladies asked in a condescending voice.

‘Uhh yes, thank you. I just wanted to have a look at your cocktail dresses, please.’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t think we have anything for you.’ The more senior lady eyeballed Raquel up and down. 

‘There are dresses in your shop window.’

‘How much are those dresses in the window, Marie?’ 

‘Oh they’re _very_ expensive,’ the younger but equally rude store assistant replied, also glaring at Raquel.

‘I didn’t ask how much they were,’ Raquel stated angrily.

‘I think it’s important for you to know that everything here is very expensive. You’re obviously in the wrong place. Please leave.’

Raquel stared incredulously at both ladies. _These fucking bitches._ She knew there was no point arguing.

‘Fine,’ she retorted, making sure to slam the door on the way out.

Once outside, Raquel took some deep breaths to calm herself down. She couldn’t believe the nerve of the two women that she had just met. Times like these made her wish that she was still a police inspector. Although she wasn't respected by men, at least the general public responded to her authority. 

As Raquel felt her breathing return to normal and her rage dissipate, she decided to just forget about shopping for the time being, and decide on a place to meet Agata for lunch. 

***

‘Those motherfucking _putas_!’ cursed Agata loudly, drawing stares from neighbouring customers. ‘What’s the name of the shop? I’m going to go in there and give them a piece of my mind, Raquel.’

‘It’s not worth it, Nairobi,’ Raquel sighed, using her best friend’s nickname and giving her hand a tight squeeze to show her love and appreciation. ‘I thought I’d save myself an extra trip by not going home to change first, but obviously people in this part of town don’t want to serve you if you look like… well, a _prostitute_.’

Agata was silent for a moment, digesting and pondering Raquel’s words.

‘Lisboa. I think I still might be able to save you that trip home.’

‘Si?’

‘I probably should keep this confidential, but fuck it. You know one of my clients, the older man, Agustin? His daughter-in-law manages a luxury clothing boutique not too far from here.’

‘Really?’

‘What was her name again… I think it was Monica. Anyway, Agustin has taken me shopping there a few times when we’ve gone out. It’s a beautiful store, quite fancy. I definitely think you’ll be able to find a cocktail dress there.’

Raquel chewed on her bottom lip, visibly thinking.

‘I don’t know, Agata.’ 

‘Trust me, Raquel. It’s fine. Monica is _super_ sweet, probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. We can go together after we finish up here,’ persuaded Agata. 

Raquel hesitated for only a second, knowing that it was hopeless to argue with her stubborn friend.

‘Vale. Gracias, Nairobi. I don’t know what I’d do without you,’ she smiled fondly.

‘You can make it up to me right now, actually. Tell me what the fuck is going on with you. I’ve barely heard a peep until today when you texted me. Where have you been and what do you need to debrief?’ demanded Agata.

Raquel admired her strong-willed friend’s ability to get right to the point. Taking a deep breath, she began to retell the events of the previous day and night. How Andres had called and hired her to accompany Sergio at his business dinner, all the ways in which he continued to pleasantly surprise her, and how they had slept together last night. 

‘Wait. This is the same guy from the other night, right? The one who _rejected_ having sex with you, because of love and romance, blah blah blah?’

‘Si.’

‘So what the fuck changed?’Agata raised an eyebrow at the brunette.

Raquel bit her lip anxiously. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure it out myself. And the only logical conclusion I came to, is that he changed his mind because he was horny.’

Agata burst out laughing, her black hair shaking around her face.

‘Lisboa. Are you maybe ignoring the more obvious reason?’

‘Which is?’

‘Maybe he likes you.’

‘No. That’s ridiculous.’

‘Is it?’

‘ _Yes_.’

‘Then tell me honestly. How does he make you feel? Because it sounds a lot like you have feelings for him.’

‘ _Agata_.’

‘ _Raquel._ You just said that Andres paid you to accompany Sergio for the dinner, right? But neither of them hired you to _fuck_ him. And yet, the two of you _fucked,_ willingly. So tell me the truth.’

Raquel put her head in her hands and raked her fingers backwards through her long brown hair.

‘I don’t know, Nairobi. I’m scared to admit that I like him. Where is this going to go? Nowhere, most likely. He’s leaving town in a week anyway.’ 

‘What do you mean?’

‘He was only here for the Grammy’s, I think. It explains why he’s staying at the hotel.’

‘Where is he returning to?’

‘I didn’t ask.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because _what’s the point_? Like I said, it’s not like we are going to be in a relationship together. He’s a famous musician and I’m a hooker, for God’s sake!’

‘Well certainly not with that attitude,’ glared Agata. ‘Let me ask you something. What was it like, having sex with him? How did it feel?’

 _Perfect_ , Raquel wanted to say. _Like I wasn’t a prostitute_.

‘He was very skilled. It was good.’

Agata stared at her, eyes punctuated with doubt, as though she knew with certainty that Raquel was withholding her true feelings. But instead of arguing with her, Agata let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

‘Raquel, I just want you to be happy. But you can’t be happy unless you’re honest with yourself first.’

Hearing her closest friend wish her nothing but joy made Raquel’s eyes glassy, and she nodded.

‘Thank you, Agata.’

‘Anyway, we need to get you a new cocktail dress for the opera. Vamos!’


	11. Opera

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of the readers still following this fic. I am so humbled and appreciative of each and every comment or kudos that I receive. 
> 
> Many of you have requested that I write longer chapters or update more frequently, but I'm sorry to say that it's probably too challenging for me to do that at this stage. I literally haven't read or written fiction for 10+ years until now.
> 
> I also thank you for being patient with me and my updates. I know this chapter was a bit later than usual, I was busier in my personal life, and I also had huge writer's block!
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will come easier to me. Love to you all. <3

‘It’s this one,’ gestured Agata to a narrow-looking boutique with a black facade. The sign on the front of the shop read “Stockholm Style”. As her best friend pushed open the door, a small bell chimed, making Raquel feel slightly nervous.

‘Hola?’ called out Agata.

At the back of the store was a black counter, where a petite woman with blonde, curly hair stood. She immediately looked up at the sound of Agata’s voice, and her expression conveyed recognition and warmth.

‘Agata?!’ She rushed over towards them, and embraced the confident black-haired beauty, as Raquel watched awkwardly from the side.

‘Como estas? Agustin didn’t mention that you were coming in today.’

‘I didn’t plan to come actually. I’m here for my friend, Raquel. She’s having some trouble finding a cocktail dress to wear to the opera tonight, and I naturally thought of you and your store. Would you mind helping us?’

‘Of course not! It would be my pleasure.’ The blonde lady turned to smile at Raquel. ‘Raquel, my name is Monica. I’m one hundred percent certain that we will find you the perfect dress! Please, first have a look around and let me know if anything catches your eye.’

‘Thank you so much,’ Raquel grinned with relief.

The store had about a dozen different racks, sorted by occasion. Raquel walked over to the area featuring evening attire, and began combing through the garments that were neatly hung up.  _ Too many sequins _ .  _ Too short. Too pink. Too expensive. Too slutty.  _ Then her eyes lingered on a scarlet-red, chiffon, maxi dress. The sleeves were off-the-shoulder style, and the neckline was sweetheart. The style of the dress was both extremely elegant  _ and _ seductive.

‘This one,’ she said as she took the dress off the rack and held it up for Monica and Agata to see.

Agata nodded back at her excitedly, eyes wide with excitement. Monica gasped and beamed at her.

‘We literally just got that dress in a few days ago. You have impeccable taste, Raquel! I can already tell that you will look amazing in it,’ squealed the curly blonde. ‘Please, come this way to the fitting room.’

Raquel tried on the dress, and was delighted by her reflection in the mirror. The fabric accentuated her curves perfectly, and the colour flattered her skin tone. The length was just right, and the sweetheart neckline showed off her cleavage in a subtle way.

‘What do you think?’ She stepped out from behind the dressing curtain and presented herself to the two waiting ladies.

Agata’s jaw fell open and Monica’s whole face lit up.

‘You look incredible!’

‘Madre mia, Raquel. If Sergio didn’t want to fuck you before, he definitely will  _ now _ . You look fucking fantastic.’

Raquel blushed at being complimented so fiercely.

‘Thank you girls, really. I guess I’ll take it?’ she laughed.

***

As soon as Raquel had left the hotel room, Sergio fished his phone out and promptly dialled Andres.

‘Hola?’

‘Andres. It’s Sergio.’

‘Mi hermanito! I just got off the phone with Martin. He was raving about last night’s dinner. I  _ told _ you everything would go splendidly.’

‘Si, si. You were right. But I’m not calling about that, Andres. I need you to  _ please _ let me know when you make last minute decisions that pertain to me. I can’t take much more of your surprises.’

Andres chuckled heartily on the other end of the line.

‘Sergio, are you unhappy that I sent Lisbon?’

‘Yes. Well, no. I’m unhappy that you didn’t call me to tell me before I looked like an idiot outside the restaurant.’

‘Forgive me, hermanito. But I distinctly remember suggesting it at the cafe, and you rejected the idea. If I had called you, you wouldn’t have agreed. And the fact of the matter is, I really don’t think your evening would have been such a success without her presence. Or are you suggesting otherwise?’

Sergio paused. He hated it when his older brother was right, as he so often was. 

‘Still, Andres. I’m a little tired of being entrapped by you.’

‘Sergio. It’s not like your usual self to be so angry with me. What are you  _ actually _ calling me to vent about?’

_ Damn, he knows me too well. _

‘I’m frustrated because you sent Raquel to me, and- and now I don’t know what the  _ fuck _ I’m doing or thinking anymore, Andres!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘We slept together last night.’

‘Sergio, is this why you’re upset?’

‘You know about my philosophy and my rules, Andres.’

‘I don’t know what to say to you, Sergio. I’m sorry that you’re angry. But I didn’t pay Lisbon, or Raquel, if that’s her name, to have sex with you.’

‘ _ Por favor _ , Andres. Just tell me the truth.’ 

‘Hand to God, mi hermanito. When I hired Lisbon yesterday, I merely asked her to accompany you at the business dinner. I didn’t mention anything about staying the night with you at all. I don’t know how you guys ended up sleeping together, but-’

Sergio instantly hung up the phone call.

_ What the fuck was happening? _

He had never felt so confused in his life before. On one hand, his brother would never lie to him so directly. But on the other hand, Sergio now had absolutely no idea how to explain the previous evening.  _ Why had Raquel slept with him and stayed the night?  _ His heart thumped erratically in his chest, and his breathing sped up. He knew that deep inside, he had begun to develop feelings for the beautiful woman that had newly entered his life. It was impossible not to, when she was so captivating physically, mentally, and emotionally. But the possibility of Raquel feeling even remotely similarly about him… It was too much to contemplate.

Sergio needed to exercise. His body was full of untamed energy, and he needed to release it, to clear his head. He stripped himself of his top, and positioned himself on his knees, facing the carpeted floor. Surely a few dozen push-ups would help him to reframe his state of mind.

***

Sergio paced back and forth somewhat nervously in his hotel room. Raquel would be arriving soon for them to attend the opera together. But his mind couldn’t be further from watching “La Traviata”. All he could think about was whether or not he should bring up yesterday night.  _ And tonight _ . He realised that he hadn’t even factored in what would be happening after the opera. Sergio knew what his heart and body wanted. But his head was confused, indecisive, and tormented. Providing that he paid Raquel to stay the night, he knew she would. After all, it was her job. However, his phone call with Andres was on continuous play mentally. He desperately wanted, no,  _ needed _ to know why she had given herself to him. The most likely scenario was that she had misinterpreted what his brother had hired her for. And yet, a small part of him couldn’t help but hope that maybe she hadn’t. That she had been with him for a different, more selfish reason.

A light tapping roused Sergio from his troubled thoughts.  _ Raquel _ . He hurried over to the door and pulled it open. His mind emptied as soon as he saw her standing before him. A long, red formal dress was enveloping Raquel’s body like a tight glove. Two soft and delicate looking pieces of material wrapped around each of her upper arms. Her neck and shoulders were completely, sensuously bare. The neckline of the dress was teasing him with a sneaky glimpse of her cleavage. Raquel’s hair was elegantly styled in an updo, except for two brown tendrils of hair framing her face. And when she smiled at him in greeting, her mouth was accentuated by a matching shade of vermillion lipstick.

‘Ra-raquel, you look beautiful,’ he eventually managed to stammer.

‘Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself,’ she winked at him. ‘So… shall we head off now?’

‘Wait- I, umm, wanted to give you something first.’

Sergio awkwardly rushed over to the table and retrieved a small, rectangular, velvet case. He presented it to Raquel with his left hand holding the bottom, and his right hand carefully prying open the lid. 

She gasped audibly when the contents were revealed. A sparkling, ruby encrusted necklace was nesting delicately inside the case. There were at least a dozen of the gems hanging off the gold chain. 

‘When I asked the hotel concierge to arrange a car for us to go to the opera, we ended up chatting for a bit. He was a very nice man, and he mentioned that they had jewellery on loan for special occasions like this. Then he insisted that I was a premium guest, and he basically forced me to borrow this for my date.’

‘Wow. This is  _ some _ hotel, Sergio…’ murmured Raquel, still stunned by the necklace.

‘Would you- would you like to wear it? Of course, you don’t have to, I’m sure that Mirko, the hotel concierge, wouldn’t mind.’

‘No, no. It’s spectacular. I would love to wear it.’

Sergio grinned in relief. ‘May I?’ he gestured to her neck.

‘Please.’

He cautiously lifted the expensive necklace out of its case and unclasped it. Then he moved to stand behind Raquel, and placed the chain around her neck. His fingers unintentionally grazed the soft and smooth skin on her chest, making him shiver. Sergio was so close to her neck, he could smell the sweet fragrance of her perfume. 

‘How does it feel?’ he inquired, as he moved back around to look at her. The necklace complemented her outfit flawlessly.

‘Heavy,’ Raquel grinned at him.

‘Well, we’d better go now or we’ll be late. Mirko said the car would be waiting for us downstairs.’

***

Raquel had never been to the opera before, and nor could she have predicted how moved she would feel while watching “La Traviata” with Sergio. For the duration of the show, her eyes were firmly glued to the stage, and her soul had never felt so moved when the lead character Violetta sang. Although Raquel didn’t understand even a single word of Italian, the story resonated so strongly within her that she was moved to tears throughout the performance. Out of the corner of her eye, she could sense Sergio watching her every reaction.  _ ‘People's reaction to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic. They either love it or hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul,’ _ he had told her before it had begun. Raquel felt thankful that she had indeed loved it, and she felt especially grateful towards Sergio for introducing opera to her.

When the show eventually closed, the old lady beside her had inquired Raquel’s opinion.  _ It was so good, I almost peed my pants! _ She had desperately wanted to say. But Sergio would have surely been embarrassed by the comment, so she had settled for a more polite compliment.

As they both exited the theatre and stood on the sidewalk waiting for the hotel chauffeur to bring the car around, the silence between them was palpable. 

‘So…’ Raquel had started, unsure where to go with her sentence. She had realised earlier in the evening that Sergio had only requested her company at the opera, and hadn’t said anything at all about afterwards. 

Sergio shifted his eyes towards her face tentatively, and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he want her to leave? Even though she knew it wasn’t healthy for her to lust after a man that was so out of her league, Raquel secretly hoped that he wanted her to stay. Contrary to what she had told Agata, her whole heart and being wanted to remain with him, and she didn’t want this fairytale to ever end.

‘So…’ Sergio continued on her behalf. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down for a second. ‘Do you- do you want to come back to the hotel for a drink?’

Raquel’s eyes momentarily widened.

‘Yes,’ she replied without missing a beat.

Sergio’s whole face appeared to light up, and his grin reached all the way to his deep, chocolate brown eyes.

‘We should also probably get that necklace back to Mirko,’ he mumbled sheepishly.

‘Oh yeah, of course,’ Raquel smiled back at him, absentmindedly fingering the piece of jewelry adorning her neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed all the PW references in this chapter. :)


	12. Inspectora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not that long and it turned out to be much sweeter and more romantic than what I originally intended. I'm planning to put some spicy drama into the story very soon though, so please enjoy the calm before the storm! LOL. :D
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, commenting, and kudos-ing! Every time I see a new comment/kudos it makes me want to write more. <3 
> 
> Hopefully you guys can guess which PW scene I'm going to write/steal for my next chapter. ;)

‘What would you like to drink?’ prompted Sergio, opening the door of the mini bar. ‘There’s red, white, champagne, beer, whiskey, vodka… Or I can order something else from room service too.’

‘Well that depends. What do you enjoy the most? I insist on not drinking alone this time,’ teased Raquel.

‘Vale. I hope you like pinot noir then,’ Sergio smiled as he pulled a bottle from the fridge and unscrewed the cap.

‘Si. I like all wine. Gracias.’ Raquel accepted the glass of red offered to her and brought it up to her nose for a sniff before taking a sip. ‘Mmm, it’s divine, Sergio.’

She watched as the pianist swished the liquid momentarily and took a swig.

‘It is indeed. But I must warn you Raquel, I don’t drink often… And because of that, I’m fairly lightweight,’ he confessed with a hint of embarrassment.

‘Don’t worry, this is a safe environment,’ she winked at him. ‘I’ll make sure you don’t get too drunk and make a fool of yourself,’ she added, triggering them both to burst into hearty laughter.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence at the dining table as they polished off their glasses of the delicious pinot noir. Raquel noticed then that Sergio was not even remotely joking about not drinking often -- his cheeks were now tinged slightly pink from the alcohol. For a while, neither of them said anything at all; each one of them was waiting for the other to speak. For Raquel, she wondered whether now was the right time to ask if she was to leave or stay.  _ Any moment now, he will probably tell me to go. _

‘I, uhh, I’m sorry. I didn’t clarify payment details, and I’m not sure how Andres has previously reimbursed you. But whatever your rates are, I will pay them, of course,’ Sergio finally spoke as he refixed the position of his plastic frames.

_ So, this is it. _ Raquel’s heart began to sink.

‘No, no. I didn’t clarify either.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I generally charge by the hour. And I accept cash, or bank transfer, which Andres has been doing. For the opera tonight, it’s $300.’

‘And... and how much for the entire night?’ he muttered so inaudibly, she almost didn’t hear.

Raquel immediately jerked her eyes to stare at Sergio in surprise, but his head was lowered, and his gaze directed at the empty wine glass on the table.

‘It’s a thousand dollars,’ she replied cautiously.

‘I… spoke to Andres earlier on the phone today. He said that he didn’t reimburse you for staying last night.’ His tone wasn’t accusatory at all, but curious. Sergio’s gaze was still directed downwards, refusing to look at her.

_ Fuck _ . Raquel’s heartbeat sped up, and she could feel her face becoming flustered. She hadn’t expected Sergio to have talked about last night with his brother, or to address it with her so soon. And now she was caught out with nowhere to run or hide.

‘No… no, he didn’t.’  _ How was she going to explain that she had slept with him just because she wanted to? What would he think of her? What would he say? And would he now realise how she felt about him? _

After an eternity, Sergio turned his eyes to look at her. The expression on his face was unreadable.

‘I’m sorry if there was a misunderstanding between you and Andres. I can transfer you the money along with tonight’s payment.’

Relief began to swarm inside of Raquel. He had given her a way out. And yet, a tiny part of her wanted to tell the truth, to see where it took her.  _ No, it’s too risky. _

‘Oh, that would be fine. Thank you, Sergio,’ she said as she faked a smile. Anxiously, her left hand went to fidget with the tress of hair hanging beside her face. Then her forearm bumped the extravagant necklace that she was still wearing.

‘Hey, we should get this back to Mirko, right?’ Raquel was ecstatic to finally change the subject.

‘Ah, si. I almost forgot.’

Sergio sprung to his feet and walked over to her, picking up the velvet jewellery case as he did.

‘Would you like me to help you take it off?’

‘Please.’

For the second time that evening, he stood tantalisingly close behind her, fingertips grazing the soft skin on her neck as he unclasped the gold chain. The sensation of his hot breath on her back made her shiver with desire. As he deposited the necklace and closed the case with a click, Raquel mustered up the strength to definitively put herself out of her misery by leaving before being asked to leave.

‘It’s getting late,’ she began.

‘Si, it is.’ Sergio inserted.

‘I guess I should call a taxi,’ she sighed, picking up her phone. But before she could open the dialler, his hand was on top of hers, preventing her from proceeding further.

‘Wait, Raquel. Stay.’

She stared at him with wide eyes, not quite believing what she was hearing.

‘Okay,’ she responded slowly, placing her phone down on the table.

‘Okay,’ he echoed.

Raquel’s heart was doing cartwheels inside her chest.  _ He wanted her to stay. _

‘Is it okay if I take a shower?’ she found herself querying, not knowing what else to say.

‘Of course.’

As she took a few steps towards the bathroom, Raquel suddenly remembered that her mother had assisted her with the zip on the back of her dress earlier when she had gotten ready. She hastily turned around, and saw Sergio look at her quizzically.

‘Sorry. I need some help with the zip on the back… Could you please help me?’

‘Oh. Yes,’ he strode over to her. Now it was the third time in this familiar position behind her.

Raquel felt him slowly, timidly, unhook the tiny eye closure at the top of the zip. Then, he was carefully pulling down the zipper until he reached her lower back.

‘Is this okay?’ he breathed on her neck.

‘Yes,’ she gulped, eyes fluttering in pleasure. Her hands were holding up the front of the dress to protect her modesty as she had needed to go braless tonight.

She was about to pull away and begin her journey to the bathroom again when she realised that Sergio was still lingering intimately at her back.  _ What was he doing? _

Turning her head slowly to look over her shoulder, Raquel watched as he planted a chaste kiss on the back of her shoulder. And that was enough for her to unravel completely.

She rotated her whole body to face him, causing him to startle. But her lips were on his neck before any words could escape him. Next she was removing his jacket, unbuttoning his shirt, and moving her kisses from his neck, to his collarbones, and then his chest.

And he was reciprocating in every way.

Sergio was helping her rid himself of his tuxedo, and groaning under her caresses. He unzipped her dress the rest of the way, then pushed it down to the floor, leaving Raquel standing completely naked except for her underwear.

There was an undeniable lust in his eyes as he feasted his eyes on her, causing Raquel to feel even more aroused. She wasted no time in unbuckling his belt and shoving his trousers down with his boxers still inside them.

Sergio’s already hard member throbbed in front her, and when she wrapped her fingers around him, he inhaled sharply. As she pumped him expertly up and down, he started to rain down his own kisses on her upper torso, eliciting delighted moans. Then his fingers were sliding into her panties, and  _ oh God _ , they were right where she wanted them.

Raquel was soaking wet, and the way that Sergio was expertly rubbing her clit was sending her crazy. She walked them both over to the king sized bed, pushing him backwards onto it when they arrived. Impatiently, she took off her underwear, flung them aside, and climbed onto the bed to straddle him. As she took hold of his member once again, Raquel spread his oozing moistness around with her fingers, lubricating him nicely.

Sergio’s face was a picture of absolute euphoria, pupils dilated, mouth slightly open and gasping. The sight of his arousal heightened her own, and she was about to sink herself down onto him when-

‘Raquel. Do you have…’

_ Oh, fuck. _ She usually never forgot about wearing protection, but somehow she had just been so caught up in him, so entranced, that it had momentarily slipped her mind.

‘Yes, in my purse.’ She hurriedly hopped off the bed to retrieve a condom out of her handbag, and go through the motions of putting it on. ‘Sorry,’ she tried to apologise as she resumed her position on top of him.

‘No. Don’t be. I just thought you would prefer to be safe,’ Sergio muttered as Raquel aligned his cock with her entrance.

As he gradually entered her, she couldn’t hold back the whimper of pleasure from her throat.

‘Dios, you feel so good.’ If she hadn’t been entirely drunk with arousal, she would have cringed at the sentence she just said. Raquel never talked like that during sex, unless it was specifically what the client had requested because she hated feeling like an exaggerated porn star. But with Sergio, it was different. She meant every word genuinely.

‘I’m glad,’ he responded, thrusting upwards into her with vigour.

‘I must be tired, because I had a temporary lapse in memory before. I don’t want you to think that I’m reckless with protection. I wasn’t lying when I said I was clean,’ Raquel clarified between breaths as she bounced up and down atop him. ‘I’m also on the pill for extra safety.’

‘Raquel, it’s okay.’ Sergio stroked her cheek with his hand. ‘I trust that you’re professional and responsible. You  _ were _ an inspectora, after all. I was just thinking for your benefit before.’

‘ _Mmm_ , good _,_ ’ was all Raquel could manage as he continued to fuck her deeply, hitting the most intense places inside her.

They continued to rock together for several moments, until Raquel felt herself trembling with closeness. She reached down to her bundle of nerves, and started drawing circles with the fingers on her right hand, while continuing to ride Sergio. She could tell that he too was not far from the edge, he was groaning and sucking on her neck passionately. His left hand was pushing down on the bed for leverage to thrust, and his free hand was alternating between massaging her breasts, and playing with her nipples. It wasn’t long until Raquel came with an earth-shattering scream of his name. What surprised her though was how he arrived straight after her, as if hearing his name on her lips and sent him straight to paradise.

‘I think I definitely need a bath now,’ she giggled as she gingerly clambered off of him.

‘The bathroom is all yours, Inspectora.’ Sergio smiled weakly at her, still recovering from his orgasm.

Raquel descended the bed and was about to enter the bathroom when she paused. Hovering in the doorway, she decided to push her luck. Who knew if this was their last night together, ever again?

‘This bath tub looks big enough for two people, you know. You could join me… Professor.’


	13. 88 inches of therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks for all your comments and kudos after my previous chapter, I'm so floored by your responses as always :) Throughout the week, I read other Serquel fics that I subscribe to, and I often feel so envious of other authors who write so much more eloquently than I do... Thus it really means so much to me when I get compliments from all of you, and I'm so grateful that you don't think my writing absolutely sucks LOL.
> 
> Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (it might be my favourite to date). I decided to make it a nice one for you guys, with a tease of angst/drama at the end ;)
> 
> Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts! x

Two days. That was the total amount of time that Sergio had known Raquel. Actually, it was two _nights_ . He had met her on Sunday night after the Grammys. And now it was Tuesday night. Then, in a mere handful of days, he would have to depart from this city. It was an idea that he didn’t want to entertain yet -- there were too many undesired consequences of having to leave. His whole life, he had been a meticulous planner. But now... he didn’t want to, no, couldn’t _bear_ to think about the future. He mentally decided that he would cross that bridge when he got there. There was still time.

Two days ago, if you had told Sergio that he would be soaking in a bubble bath with a prostitute tonight, he probably would have been more than willing to bet his entire career and fortune that you’d be wrong. And yet here he was. Romantically sharing the spacious hotel tub with Raquel. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and shoulders, tenderly scrubbing him with a loofa. And her _legs_. Her heavenly legs encircled his waist beneath the foamy water, as he relaxed in her embrace. He could feel her breasts pressed up against his back, and he thanked God for refractory periods. It would be far too embarrassing for him to be physically excited again so soon after they had just been intimate. 

Sergio was quickly learning from his several newfound experiences with Raquel that maybe, he didn’t know himself as well as he thought he did. At age 40, he didn’t think he could surprise himself anymore. He was wrong. Raquel was provoking him, eliciting things in him, that he never believed existed before.

And he found himself confiding in her, in a way that he had never confided before. Not even to Andres.

‘You know… I started playing piano when I was five years old. It was expensive, my parents could barely afford it. But they saw how much joy it brought me, and my teacher kept telling them not to let my talent go to waste. I loved playing piano. But I felt guilty, because we were so poor,’ Sergio recounted.

Raquel said nothing as she listened. Instead she carried on washing him lovingly, lathering the suds all over his upper body.

‘One day, my teacher told them that I needed my own piano to practise at home if I wanted to progress to a professional level. But we couldn’t afford it. So my parents became _creative_ about how they financed it. They started to pull heists. It was my father’s idea to rob a bank. And that’s when it all went wrong. They… they shot them right outside.’ The hot tears that had been welling up in Sergio’s eyes rolled down his cheeks.

‘I’m so sorry, Sergio.’

‘I was so upset. But, even more than that, I was so angry at my father for coming up with that stupid idea in the first place,’ muttered Sergio bitterly. ‘I was very angry with him. It cost me ten thousand dollars in therapy to say that sentence: “I was very angry at him.” I do it very well, don't I? I'll say it again: I was very angry with him. “Hello, my name is Mr. Marquina, I am very angry with my father.”’

Raquel laughed sympathetically.

‘I would’ve been angry at the ten thousand dollars,’ she lightly teased him. ‘Did I mention... my leg is 44 inches from hip to toe, so basically, we're talking about…’ Raquel squeezed her legs around his waist for emphasis. ‘88 inches of therapy, wrapped around you, for the bargain price of…’

‘One thousand dollars,’ they both declared in unison.

Sergio chuckled, quietly marveling at how comfortable he felt with Raquel now, as well as how at ease she made him feel. He felt more than a little disappointed when the water began to cool, prompting them to end their bath time together.

‘Why don’t you head to bed first? I need to blowdry my hair.’

So Sergio sat up against the headboard, a pillow propped behind his back for cushioning as he waited for Raquel. He didn’t realise how tired he was feeling until he was nodding his head heavily and intermittently dozing.

***

Raquel flicked the bathroom light switch off and was about to jump into the bed when she noticed that Sergio’s chin was on his chest and his eyes were closed. _He had fallen asleep._ She smiled to herself, and sat down next to him with her legs hanging over the side of the bed. _He looks so peaceful_.

Reaching out tentatively with her right hand, Raquel couldn’t resist grazing the backs of her fingers faintly across his cheek and beard. She paused as the tips of her fingers gently touched his soft lips. _One small kiss couldn’t hurt_. Ignoring the sound of Agata’s voice in the back of her head, Raquel leaned forward to close the distance between their faces. She closed her eyes and softly pressed her lips to his, relishing in the foreign sensation. She hadn’t kissed anyone since Alberto.

Just as she was about to pull away, Sergio jerked suddenly, and his eyes flew open. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments. Raquel threw all caution to the wind. Unapologetically, she returned her lips to meet his again, and awaited his reaction. As she began to massage his lips with her own, she felt him initiate his own movement. Next Sergio was grabbing her face with his hands, and kissing her vigorously. Raquel sucked on his lips desperately, begging for more. He responded with the same enthusiasm, and then his tongue was probing her mouth, initiating a dance.

They kissed fervently, as if making up for lost time. Raquel felt the fire between her legs ignite, and fell back upon the bed, pulling Sergio down with her. Without disconnecting their lips, she hungrily disrobed him while he did the same to her. As his body covered hers, she felt him hard against her pelvis and she reached down to stroke him, making Sergio groan into her mouth. He levelled the playing field by palming her breasts and then finally breaking their kiss to circle her nipple with his tongue. Raquel could feel herself becoming extremely wet with desire as she moaned in high pitched tones.

She needed him so badly. Her hand guided his length towards her entrance, and she glided it along her slit, making him feel just how desperate she was for him. 

‘ _Raquel,_ ’ Sergio grunted with yearning in his voice.

‘I want to feel you… like this… inside me,’ she half-begged.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked, ever still refusing to be anything but the perfect gentleman in a scenario like this.

Raquel looked up at him and nodded slowly. Sergio’s eyes were as dark as the abyss into which she was falling. She could see that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. She pulled him back down to resume their kiss, then resumed guiding his hard cock into her. Her breathing quickened as she felt his tip enter her, and as he took control with the rest, she started to pant into his open mouth.

Sergio thrust into her at a steady rhythm, and alternated between kissing her neck and lips. Although the sex had been nothing short of excellent the previous two times, Raquel knew that this time was the front runner. It finally felt like there were no barriers between them, physical or otherwise. Sergio was taking her straight to paradise with his hips, and she was moaning his name to let him know. When she felt the tension reach a crescendo, her fingers moved to her clit, guiding herself to release.

Raquel must have cried his name out a hundred times as she came with the same intensity as a firework, back arching off the bed, and hands grasping at the sheets. It didn’t take long for Sergio to arrive soon after, echoing her name too.

There were no words to describe the sheer ecstasy of what they had just experienced. Eventually, they repositioned themselves so that they were lying in bed properly. When Raquel turned over on her side, Sergio mimicked the action, draping his arm around her waist and spooning her. With Sergio’s back pressed against her from behind, she could feel his heart rate and breathing slow down over the course of minutes. She wondered if he had fallen asleep again now. Sleep was eluding her. Raquel’s mind raced with fantasies of a life with Sergio. She couldn’t help herself. Not when the hole inside her heart that had been there since Alberto finally started to feel like it was shrinking. Like it could disappear forever, if she had Sergio by her side. 

‘I love you,’ she whispered almost inaudibly.

***

The next morning when Sergio awoke, his lover was missing from his arms. He frowned to himself, wondering if she had left, until he heard the sound of the shower running.

He reflected on their perfect night together. In particular, he mulled over what he had heard as he was drifting off to sleep as they cuddled. _I love you_ . Had Raquel meant it? Why would she say it? And should he pretend that he hadn’t heard her? Or should he address it? Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how he felt. Did _he_ love her?

An incessant buzzing sound interrupted his endless questions. It sounded like a phone vibrating. He glanced at his bedside table for his device. It wasn’t his. It must be Raquel’s, which was on the dining table. The phone continued to buzz loudly. Maybe he should check that it wasn’t her mother calling.

He climbed out of bed and donned his bathrobe, then strode over to the source of the noise. Someone named Suarez was calling her. Sergio was unsure what to do. Should he answer it? Or just let it ring? He didn’t want to invade her privacy. But who was Suarez? Suddenly the ringing stopped. Only a few seconds later, Raquel’s phone screen lit up briefly with a text message preview notification. Without meaning to, Sergio glimpsed it -- and immediately regretted it.

[[ TEXT MESSAGE

Suarez

Lisboa, are we still on for tomorrow night? Same place and time? I miss your body. ]]

  
Sergio’s heart sunk to a depth that he hadn’t realised existed inside of his torso until now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the PW shopping scene part 2 is still coming! I haven't forgotten and it will probably be in the next chapter. :)
> 
> Oh yeah and I know Raquel does not have legs as long as Julia Roberts LOL but I decided to leave the quote as it is, I just think '88 inches' has a nice ring to it. To be honest, we use the metric system in Australia and I don't even know how long 88 inches looks hahaha.


	14. Big mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi faithful readers, thank you so much for your patience. I know you had to wait a bit longer for this chapter (and it's not any longer than usual, sorry!). I was unexpectedly busy the past two weeks, and also in a bit of a crap head space, which gave me writer's block and made me lose motivation to write. Hopefully I will be able to regain my inspiration, and add subsequent chapters weekly again.
> 
> Also thank you to the people who voted on my Instagram story poll about whether or not Raquel should sleep with Suarez :) It helped me to make a decision, so I hope you are happy with the direction I ended up going with.

Raquel exited the bathroom to find Sergio now awake and sitting up in bed. He was frowning at his phone and rapidly tapping away at the screen.

‘Buenos dias,’ she softly greeted, sitting down on the bed next to him again.

She was still buzzing with happiness from their perfect night together, and wondered how long this new high would last. Now that they had finally kissed, Raquel was addicted, and craving her next hit. 

Sergio looked up from his phone and smiled at Raquel, but somehow his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked, concerned.

‘Of course,’ he reassured. But he flashed the same empty smile again. 

Maybe she was imagining things. Raquel cupped his face with both hands and gazed into his dark eyes before leaning in to capture his lips with hers. She kissed him without hurry or purpose, just enjoying that taste of him and the sensation of their mouths melting together. 

When they broke apart for air, Sergio finally beamed genuinely at her, and adorably readjusted his glasses on his nose bridge.

‘Who are you talking to?’ Raquel gestured towards his phone.

‘Andres. He just messaged me to say that Martin and Angel are ready to meet with the prepared contract.’

‘That’s fantastic, Sergio! When are you going to meet?’

‘I’m still discussing it with Andres, but possibly tomorrow. I think Martin is actually throwing a party at his house and has invited us to attend.’

Raquel nodded slowly, unsure exactly whom he meant by “ _us_ ”.

‘Are you… Do you think you will be available to accompany me? Andres will be there this time, but I… I’d like it if you could come too.’

‘Si, of course I’ll come,’ she agreed a little too eagerly.

‘Perfecto,’ Sergio grinned at her. Then his tone shifted slightly. ‘Your phone rang while you were in the shower, by the way. I, umm, had a quick look just to make sure it wasn’t your mother calling. But it wasn’t her.’

‘Oh? Who was it?’ asked Raquel, surprised.

‘Someone named Suarez,’ he tentatively disclosed as he pushed the plastic frames back up his nose. 

‘ _Oh_.’ She had completely forgotten that before Sergio came into her life, she saw other clients. Some were regulars, like Suarez. She wondered if she should explain who he was.

‘I’m sorry, Raquel. I didn’t mean to violate your privacy.’

‘No, no. It’s okay Sergio. Thank you for being concerned about my mother.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Suarez is one of my regular clients. I usually see him weekly. He was probably calling to check if we were still meeting tomorrow night.’

There was a long, awkward pause as Sergio nodded, but remained silent.

‘Obviously, if I’m attending Martin’s party with you tomorrow, then I will have to tell him that I can’t see him,’ Raquel eventually spoke.

‘You don’t have to come if you want to see Suarez.’

Raquel gawked at the professor-esque man in front of her. She wondered how someone so clever could be so inept and oblivious at the same time. Had she not made it as clear as crystal last night just how much she liked him? Did he think that she was lying when she told him that she didn’t kiss on the mouth? That she would have sex with just anbody without using protection? How could he think that she would rather choose anyone else over him?

‘Why would you think that I want to see Suarez?’ she questioned angrily.

Sergio’s face turned to confused shock at her abrupt change in tone.

‘Raquel, I-’

‘No, Sergio. Do you really not know how I feel towards you? Even after I’ve broken all of my own rules for you?’ she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

The pianist brought his hand up to her face, and gently caressed her cheek, brushing away the spilling droplets with his thumb.

‘Lo siento mucho, Raquel.’ He swallowed thickly. ‘I don’t know why I said that. Maybe because I’m worried… that I just had the best night of my life. I’m quite old and…’ He took a shaky breath. ‘...you’re my first love. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to talk about this. I only know that I need you in my life. But at any given moment, I could lose you. That I _will_ lose you... when I leave this city. The truth is, I don’t want this to end.’ 

Raquel gaped at Sergio, speechless at his confession. _He loves her too_. She could see from his slumped shoulders, and the way he was staring down at his fidgeting fingers, that he was telling the truth. He had never been in this situation before. Her heart constricted with emotion, and the realisation that they had both fallen for each other within a mere few days together.

Not knowing what to say, Raquel brought both of her hands to gently cup her lover’s face, and tilted his head up slightly so that she could gaze into his eyes. 

_I don’t want to lose you either. I’ve fallen in love with you._

Now that they both knew where each of them stood, the meeting of their lips meant infinitely more. Sergio kissed her deeply, as if he was pouring all of his pent up feelings into her very soul. And Raquel kissed him back with equal fervor, silently reminding him that she didn’t do this with just anyone. When they parted for air, Sergio finally articulated what she had been dying to hear.

‘I don’t want you to see Suarez, or anybody else, Raquel. I want- I _need_ you by my side.’

Overcome with affection, Raquel could only nod her agreement as she felt the wetness in her eyes travel down her cheeks.

Sergio grinned at her with relief, and pulled her towards him into an embrace. His hand tenderly stroked the hair on the back of her head as she rested against his chest, while the other snaked around her waist. She breathed deeply in contentment. To be held like this was heaven sent, and she wished that the moment could last forever.

However, the comfortable calm was soon broken by the sound of Raquel’s grumbling stomach. 

‘I guess it’s time for breakfast?’

Sergio laughed. ‘Should we go out to eat? You must be getting sick of the hotel menu by now.’

***

As they left the cafe that they had just dined at, Raquel suddenly remembered that she still had Sergio’s credit card inside her purse. She stopped sharply in her tracks to fish it out of her handbag, eliciting confusion from the musician.

‘Sorry, I forgot to give this back to you yesterday,’ she apologised, handing the card back to him.

‘Oh, I had forgotten myself, to be honest,’ he chuckled. ‘Did you have fun shopping?’

Raquel hesitated before replying. She almost wanted to lie, and tell him it had been great, but she settled on the truth. No more tip-toeing around; at least not for the remaining few days that they had left together.

‘No. They were mean to me.’

‘They were _mean_ to you?’

It took a few minutes for Raquel to explain everything that had happened when she tried to buy a cocktail dress, and how she ultimately ended up at Monica’s boutique thanks to Agata. When she finished explaining, Sergio had a new expression on his face. It was a mixture of anger and determination.

‘Don’t worry, Sergio. I’m over it, now. It’s okay,’ she reassured, placing her hand on his chest.

Raquel was taken aback with surprise when he clutched her placed hand firmly and moved it from his chest.

‘ _No_. Come, Raquel, we’re going shopping now,’ he declared. Sergio interlaced his fingers with hers, and began marching them in the direction of the strip mall.

‘Wait, Sergio!’ she protested as he led her towards the abundance of shops. ‘Stores are not nice to people.’

‘Stores are never nice to people. They’re nice to credit cards,’ corrected Sergio, as he steered her straight into the first extravagant boutique that they chanced upon. ‘Stop fidgeting,’ he added, noticing Raquel’s nervousness.

As they entered the store, Sergio immediately requested the manager.

‘Hello. I am Mr Hollister, the manager. Can I help you?’

‘Sergio Marquina,’ he introduced with a handshake.

‘Mr Marquina.’

‘Yes. You see this young lady over here,’ Sergio gestured.

‘Yes.’

‘Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?’

Raquel couldn’t help but blush with a smile, hearing Sergio compliment her like that in front of a stranger.

‘Oh yes,’ enthusiastically replied Mr Hollister. Then he stared at them for half a second before changing his tune. ‘Oh, no. No, no. I’m saying we have many things as beautiful as she would want them to be. That’s the point that I was getting at. And I think we can all agree with that.’

Sergio smiled, then put his hand on the manager’s shoulder to stop him from continuing to ramble.

‘Excuse me. You know what we’re going to need here? We’re going to need a few more people helping us out. And I’ll tell you why. We are going to be spending an obscene amount of money in here. So we’re going to need a lot more help sucking up to us, cause that’s what we really like. You understand that,’ the pianist smirked.

‘Oh sir, if I may say so, you’re in the right store and the right city for that matter,’ the all too-eager manager replied. ‘Mary-Pat, Mary-Kate, Mary-Frances, come on, let’s see them.’

Raquel immediately found herself being surrounded by three different women showing her a variety of dresses and garments, sucking up to her, just as Sergio had instructed.

‘Exactly how obscene an amount of money were you talking about? Profane, or _really offensive_?’ the manager approached Sergio.

‘ _Really offensive._ ’

‘I like him so much,’ whispered Mr Hollister to himself.

As the store staff continued to bring Raquel dozens of clothing pieces, Sergio watched from a distance and either nodded or shook his head to communicate his opinions on the garments.

After an hour of trying on different outfits, Sergio pulled her aside.

‘I need to leave to make a few business calls.’ He handed her his credit card again. ‘You look great, and you have my card,’ stroking her arm lovingly.

‘She has my card,’ Sergio called over to Mr Hollister as he began to leave.

‘And we’ll help her use it, Sir!’

Finally, after spending at least another hour picking out the designer clothing that she wanted to take home, Raquel left the boutique with an armful of shopping bags.

Walking back down the strip mall, she glanced at the boutique with the nasty store assistants who had refused to serve her yesterday. Biting her lip, she contemplated just how petty she should be, then entered the white building.

Raquel promptly recognised the more senior lady that had been a bitch to her.

‘Hi, remember me?’

‘No, I’m sorry…’ 

‘I was in here yesterday, you wouldn’t wait on me.’

‘Oh.’

‘You work on commission, right?’

‘Uhh, yes.’

‘Big mistake. Big. Huge!’ Raquel sneered at her, emphasising the ridiculous amount of shopping bags that were in her arms. ‘I have to go shopping now,’ she exclaimed, walking right back out of the store.

Once outside, Raquel grinned and revelled in the delight and satisfaction of her vengeful act. It had felt better than she expected. In fact, she felt like a pretty woman on top of the world. And it was all thanks to Sergio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was for all the PW fans who were looking forward to this iconic scene. :)


	15. Vamonos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone... I know it's been a month since my last chapter update, and I am sorry to have kept you waiting! I've had to focus on my personal life a lot more as it's been a busy time and there's been so many things happening as the year draws to a close. 
> 
> Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart if you are still following the story, commenting, and giving kudos. I see you. And I'm eternally grateful for all of your continued support. 
> 
> I have written you some apology/thank-you smut in this chapter, and it's also slightly longer than my usual update, so I do hope this somewhat makes up for my absence. :)
> 
> Unfortunately I can't make any promises about when the next update will be (I'm relocating interstate in a month!), but please rest assured, I will finish this fic even if it means the death of me! There are probably at least a handful more chapters to write in order to complete the story (at least in my head at this point).
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. x

By the time Raquel returned to the hotel and knocked on his door that evening, Sergio felt like he had been waiting an eternity (although it had been mere hours). As soon as he wrenched the suite door open, he wasted no time in drawing his brunette lover into his arms and enveloping her lips with his own. Now that they had admitted their true feelings to one another, Sergio finally felt liberated enough to physically show Raquel just how much he was enamoured by her. And once she was past the initial shock of Sergio’s zealousness, Raquel returned his kiss with equal amounts of lust and passion. Within minutes, their tongues were dancing, hands were roaming, and eager fingers were ridding them of all their clothing.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ Raquel breathily apologised in between kisses. ‘I stopped by home to drop off all the shopping, and check on my mother and Paula.’

It took a moment for the penny to drop for both of them. When it did, they released their grips, and slowly pulled apart to examine each other.

‘...Paula?’ Sergio queried with confusion. He watched as the blood drained quickly from Raquel’s face when she realised what she had divulged.

‘I-- she-- Paula is my daughter. My eight year old daughter. I… guess I haven’t mentioned her until now,’ she stammered anxiously.

Sergio remained silent.  _ Why didn’t she tell me that she has a daughter? _

‘I’m sorry Sergio. I didn’t mean for it to be a secret or anything, I just… honestly, I never thought that we would become close enough for me to need to tell you about her. I-- I understand if this changes things for you.’

‘Why would this change things, Raquel?’ he questioned, perplexed. ‘It’s a bit of a surprise, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. Not in any way, shape or form.’

Taking notice of the wetness in her eyes, he tenderly cupped Raquel’s face between his palms and brought her lips close enough to meet his again.  _ It’s okay _ , he silently told her as he resumed their kiss to where they had left off just a few moments ago.

He waited for Raquel to reciprocate the kiss, then slid his arms around her thighs, and carefully picked her up. Mouths remaining connected the whole time, Sergio walked them over to the bed, leaving their mess of garments on the floor behind them. 

‘You don’t have to be worried about hiding anything from me, Raquel,’ he murmured reassuringly into her right ear as he lay her down gently.

When he felt her nod against his cheek, he proceeded to begin trailing soft kisses along her jawline, neck, and collarbones. His descent down her body was painstakingly measured and deliberate. Tonight, he wanted their lovemaking to endure, and somehow, she seemed to understand. Although it had not been even 24 hours since they were last intimate, Sergio found himself starving for Raquel’s body. He revelled in how her body reacted to each of his caresses; every shiver, exhale, and moan from her sent the blood rushing straight to his groin. 

Settling himself between her legs, he feathered kisses on the inside of her thighs and immensely enjoyed the sound of her quiet whimpers. He took his time exploring her folds, teasing his tongue up and down her outer lips, purposely avoiding where he knew she wanted him the most. 

‘Sergio,  _ por favor _ .’

He groaned with pleasure upon hearing Raquel beg him, and rewarded her with a lick along her slit. She was deliciously wet, and he relished in spreading her juices around before finally giving in and sucking hard on her clit. The moan that was evoked from her was drawn-out and resounding, causing his erection to pulse in response.

Soon, Raquel was clutching the wavy locks on his head with both hands and bucking her hips against his face, signifying her urgent need for  _ more _ . Sergio indulged her by sliding his index finger into her entrance, then promptly adding a second. 

‘Sííí,  _ Sergio _ ,  _ don’t stop _ .’

As he thrust his fingers into her at a steady pace, his tongue continued to play with her bundle of nerves. Raquel’s legs began trembling and her moans became more frantic. She was pulling on his hair so tightly, he was almost worried that the strands were going to rip straight out. Sergio increased the tempo of his actions, until at last, Raquel’s back was arching and she was gasping his name in bliss. He peppered soft kisses all the way back up her body as she came down from her high, panting as though she had just run a marathon.

‘Dios, Sergio…’ Raquel pulled him down on top of her, and captured his lips which were still moist with her essences. Her tongue explored his mouth, satisfied in finding her taste all over him. Then she pulled back, staring into his eyes devilishly. ‘Now I’m going to fuck your brains out.’ 

Sergio was forcefully pushed over onto his back, with Raquel straddling him. His grin swiftly transformed into a low moan as she gyrated her hips against him, and he felt her wet slit rubbing against his very hard cock. She reached down to take him straight inside her, and his eyes rolled back in ecstasy as he became buried to the hilt. 

‘ _ Raquel _ ,’ he groaned as she pounded herself on top of him.

Raquel was a woman of her word, and she was not messing around. She repeatedly impaled herself on him with gusto, moaning wantonly and driving Sergio crazy with lust. In that moment, he was disturbed to finally realise why his brother was constantly talking about women, love, and sex.  _ This was it _ . This was the feeling that Andres wanted him to experience. To be with someone you love so intensely, that you finally feel physically, emotionally, and mentally complete.  _ To live life with enjoyment _ . Thankfully, Sergio was unable to dwell on the thought of his brother for much longer as his bodily senses reasserted control, and he was brought right to the edge of nirvana. The tension in his lower abdomen was reaching its peak, and Raquel seemed to sense it as she licked her fingers and started circling them on her clit.

‘Oh, fuck  _ yesss _ ,’ she hissed as she joined Sergio on his journey towards climax.

Within seconds, her walls were clenching down on him as she cried out, and then he was spilling his seed inside of her with a grunt.

As he came down from his high, he drew Raquel into his arms so that her head was lying on his chest. Lying there wrapped together, post-coitus, Sergio couldn’t remember a time that he had been this intoxicated by life before.

‘Vamonos,’ his brain barely registered the word before it slipped out of his mouth.

‘Que?’

Sergio swallowed nervously but decided to persist.

‘Raquel… in a few days, I’m leaving to return to the small island where I live.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I really want you to come with me.’

Raquel stared up at him and chuckled faintly, as though it was a joke. Nevertheless, she entertained him.

‘Well… I have a mother and a daughter.’

‘We take your mother and your daughter, and we bring them with us. Can you imagine raising your daughter on a beach?

Gradually, the expression on her face grew serious and she observed him with glassy eyes.

‘Raquel… I don’t want this to wear off,’ he explained. ‘I don’t want to ignore this desire to feel alive. I’ve never felt it this strongly.’

She blinked in rapid succession, digesting what he was saying and realising that he was not backing down.

‘You would cross the ocean with a mother, a daughter, and a grandmother?’

‘Right now, I would.’

‘What is the name of the island?’

‘Palawan.’

‘Palawan,’ she echoed, exploring the name as it rolled off her tongue.

‘It’s in the Philippines.’

‘It’s a long way from here.’

‘Raquel… I want you to know that I will look after you. I will look after all of three of you. And the Philippines has a very low cost of living and relaxed lifestyle. We would be able to quite affordably hire a full-time nurse or carer for your mother.’

He scrutinised Raquel’s face with hawk-eyes, eager to gauge if he had overstepped her boundaries. She was emotionally blinking back tears, and respired audibly as if trying to calm herself. 

‘Damn, it’s just... it’s so crazy, that I can’t imagine doing anything else.’

Sergio felt his eyes well up, and his face broke out into a grin so wide that his cheeks protested. Raquel was smiling affectionately at him, and he leaned in to kiss her with all the love in his body. He couldn’t believe it. He felt like the luckiest man alive.

***

Sergio awoke the next morning feeling as though he had just had the best sleep of his life. Raquel was nestled comfortably in between his arms, her naked back pressed against his chest and her equally nude butt was flush against his groin. He had never woken up spooning someone before, but for some reason it felt like the most natural thing in the world with her. Gently, he grazed his lips against her shoulder, wanting to feel her smooth skin against his mouth again. The movement caused Raquel to stir, and within seconds she was blinking her eyes open. She crooked her head to search for him and she appeared so utterly gorgeous when their eyes met, that his breath caught briefly in his throat. 

‘Buenos dias,’ he whispered into her upper arm.

‘Buenos dias,’ she grinned at him. Then she pointedly aimed her gaze downwards behind her. ‘And buenos dias down there too,’ she giggled.

Sergio directed his own gaze and saw that indeed, his nether regions were now just as awake as he was. He flushed red at the sight of his erection rubbing against Raquel’s curvy buttocks.

‘Sorry. Morning wood,’ he tried to excuse.

‘Sergio… that’s not something you need to apologise for,’ she reassured endearingly. ‘But it  _ is _ something that I can definitely help with,’ she enticed with a glint in her eyes.

Raquel swiftly wriggled down the length of the bed and positioned herself so that she was on all fours and her face was level with his groin. She made sure to maintain eye contact with him the whole time. Sergio’s breath hitched, and his cock twitched in anticipation at the sight of her ready to go down on him.  _ God, she was so fucking sexy _ .

He lost the faculty for any further thoughts as Raquel began to drag her tongue along his length, all the way from the base of his balls to the tip of his shaft, where he was now oozing precum. She was teasing him thoroughly, and he was torn between enjoying being tantalised and wanting to shove his cock all the way into the back of her throat.

‘ _ Joder _ ,  _ Raquel _ ,’ he groaned as she began to suck on his swollen head.

And then she was taking  _ all _ of him inside her wet, warm mouth, and she was moaning with just as much enjoyment as he. The vibrations from her vocalisations felt so amazing that he wondered if it was possible to pass out from the euphoria. Just when he didn’t think it could get much better, Raquel pushed him all the way into the back of her throat and kept him there, trying not to gag.  _ She was choking herself on him _ . His fists began to clench on the sheets around him and his brow began to furrow. Sensing his nearness, she started to double down on her efforts and increased her tempo. She fucked her mouth on his throbbing cock, furiously bobbing up and down, continuing to deep throat him. One hand gently massaged his scrotum as the other pumped him at the base.

‘God,  _ fuck _ , Raquel, you’re going to make me come soon,’ he managed to gasp through gritted teeth.

Raquel’s saliva was dripping all around him as she flicked her eyes upwards and smiled around him. She momentarily took him out of her mouth.

‘Come for me, Sergio.’

As soon as he re-entered her moist cavern, he lost all control. Sergio came with an earth-shattering cry as a million stars filled his vision. His brain barely registered the fact that Raquel was swallowing every last drop of him.

His descent from heaven was guided by the sensation of her pressing soft kisses all the way back up his torso, returning to the location from which she originated. Sergio rapidly grabbed her face and latched onto her lips, conveying his gratitude with a thorough exploration of her extremely skilful mouth.

‘You are a Goddess,’ he earnestly worshipped when they broke apart for air.

She giggled and slapped him playfully on the chest.

‘ _ Men _ ,’ she commented with an eye-roll. ‘C’mon, we need to get up and get ready for Martin’s party. It won’t look good if we’re late,’ she reminded, rising from the bed.

And although Sergio wanted nothing more than to skip the party and stay in bed all day with Raquel instead, he knew that she was right. He settled for watching in adoration as she sauntered towards the bathroom, until he finally conceded to getting out of bed.

***

Raquel was unexpectedly taken aback when Sergio introduced her to Mirko, the concierge, in the hotel lobby. She had imagined the complete opposite of this buff, burly man who spoke with a thick Serbian accent. His whole appearance was at odds with his occupation, and based solely on looks, she would have guessed him to be the hotel security instead. Nevertheless, Mirko was extremely courteous and hospitable, and he did not leer at Raquel in the way that most men did, which mildly surprised her. He was every bit the gentleman who had lent them the extravagant ruby-encrusted necklace on the night of the opera. 

‘Our chauffeur Marseille is just bringing the limousine around to the front right now,’ Mirko told them as they waited by the entrance doors.

‘Thank you so much, Mirko.’

‘Not at all, Mr Marquina. Marseille has been instructed to wait for you at the party until you are ready to return, but please feel free to take your time as needed.’

‘That’s very generous, Mirko, but surely Marseille’s time would be better spent elsewhere?’

‘No no no, Mr Marquina. As the hotel concierge, I really do insist that you utilise our services fully. We only send Marseille out on duty for premium guests such as yourself, so please do not worry.’

Raquel felt slightly uncomfortable at the way Sergio was being treated so grandly, and wondered if this was the type of treatment he was always being lavished with for being a wealthy musician. She couldn’t help but think that she would probably never grow accustomed to people grovelling at her feet if she was in his position.

‘Here is Marseille now,’ Mirko gestured towards the hotel driveway. ‘I wish you both a wonderful time at the party,’ he farewelled.

As they entered the black limousine, Raquel glimpsed Marseille in the driver’s seat. Even while seated, he was a towering man, and he sported a medium-length light brown hair cut and thick moustache. He nodded politely at them, and spoke only to request the address from Sergio. He gave the impression of being someone who preferred silence over conversation, though perhaps he was just being professional.

When they arrived at Martin’s house (or rather, his mansion), they were only a few minutes late but the garden was already filled with at least fifty people, all dressed in their Sunday best. Raquel noticed Sergio’s body tense up at the overwhelming sight of the large crowd. She quickly found his fidgeting fingers and interlaced them with her own, then gave him a firm, reassuring squeeze. His eyes immediately sought hers, and she smiled encouragingly at him.

‘Estoy contigo, Sergio.’

The panicked look in his eyes relaxed, and she felt some of the tension in his body dissipate. Without saying anything, he returned the palm squeeze and captured her lips in an intense kiss.

‘Let’s go find Andres,’ he declared with a new wave of energy.

They discovered Andres chatting animatedly to Martin beneath an enormous oak tree. Both men had glasses of champagne in their hands. Angel was also there, standing to the side of Martin and nursing a beer with a sour look on his face. It was evident that he was being left out of the riveting conversation that Andres and Martin were having.

Angel was the first one to see Sergio and Raquel stroll towards them, and his features demonstrably lit up when he saw them, or rather, when he saw  _ her _ . He waved lamely at them and then nudged Martin to get his attention.

‘Hermanitooo,’ crooned Andres as they approached the shady tree. He enveloped Sergio into a warm embrace, then turned his attention towards Raquel. Without missing a beat, he also pulled her into a hug before planting a kiss on her cheek and murmuring into her ear:

‘It’s enchanting to meet you again,  _ Lisboa _ .’

Raquel fought hard not to display any change in expression, but her insides were shrivelling with disgust at the smugness in Andres’ voice. The man absolutely oozed misogyny and hedonism, and he did not care to hide it. For the life of her, she could not understand how he and Sergio could be brothers.

Martin followed Andres’ lead by greeting her with a chaste press of the lips to the back of her hand. Angel awkwardly settled for a single nod of his head at her, which was a relief. Raquel wasn’t sure if she had quite forgiven him yet for staining her favourite cocktail dress, even if it  _ had _ consequented in an unforgettable night with Sergio. Today she was wearing an elegant brown dress with white polka dots that she had picked out when Sergio took her shopping. The outfit was brand new and way too cute to get ruined. She made a mental note to stay far away from Angel and his beer bottle.

As the four men began to talk business and the contract, Raquel decided to excuse herself to freshen up. It was a startlingly hotter day than she had anticipated, and even under the canopy of shady leaves, she could feel herself sweating.

The exterior of Martin’s mansion was as ostentatious and grandiose as his personality, but Raquel just couldn’t believe her eyes when she entered his home and found herself within a golden palace. The walls, floors, ceilings, and even the windows were painted with the colour. Her eyes hurt from all the glare. The man clearly had an obsession with gold. 

Even the fucking bathroom was decked out in gold. After splashing herself with some cold water to cool down, she decided to sneak a quick peek at one more room before heading back outside to the party. Judging by the tall bookcases and mahogany desk, the adjacent room she snuck into was Martin’s study. This room too, was embellished with gold on almost every surface.  _ So this is how the rich and famous live _ , she thought somewhat bitterly. As she turned to leave, a single photo frame on the wall caught her eye. A beaming and youthful Martin was standing in front of what looked like Palermo Cathedral in Sicily.  _ Cute _ . 

Just as she reached for the door handle to let herself out, somebody else pushed it open from the other side. It was Angel.


End file.
